The police in Lagos have arrested a cleric,
Mr. Isiaka Akanbi, for allegedly killing a 62-
year-old woman, Raliatu Kareem.
The police also accused Akanbi of stealing
the deceased's wallet and other personal
effects.
It was learnt that Akanbi, popularly called
Alfa , had a traditional healing centre on
Lawani Street, in the Olodi Apapa area of
Lagos.
Kareem, who hails from Ilorin, Kwara State,
had known Akanbi for about 20 years as she
was a close customer of his.
It was gathered that on Saturday, October
25, Kareem, who lived on Ope-Ewe Street,
Agbado Ijaiye, Lagos, went to visit an elder
sister, Risikatu Raheem, whose daughter put
to bed in the Olodi Apapa area.
She was said to have left Ijaiye after the
monthly environmental exercise was over,
informing her 20-year-old son, Abdullahi, of
the visit to her sister.
Kareem reportedly stayed till around 6pm at
her sister's place on Salubi Street before
she headed for the Alfa's place.
It was learnt that two days after, Kareem
did not return home as she promised. The
family became apprehensive and went on
her trail to the Olodi Apapa area.
After failing to locate Kareem at the sister's
apartment, some family members, who
knew she was a friend of the cleric, decided
to check the Alfa's place.
On getting to Akanbi's centre, the Alfa
denied setting eyes on Kareem.
However, the family became suspicious
when Akanbi reportedly started packing his
property, and preparing to flee the house
some hours later.
The family was said to have raised the
alarm and headed for the Tolu Police
Station to report the incident. The police
later came to arrest Akanbi.
During interrogation, 55-year-old Akanbi told
the police that he did not kill the woman,
adding that she died in his place. Akanbi
added that when he realised the woman
was dead, he buried her personal effects to
erase any trace of her in his house.
He also told the police that he took the
corpse to Marine Bridge, abandoning it
there.
He said, "On the evening of October 26, it is
true that she visited me. We have been very
good friends too. On that day, she just
collapsed and became unconscious. I
quickly rushed her to a nearby hospital, but
I was shocked when the nurses told me she
had died.
"I got a NAPEP tricycle and took her corpse
to the Marine Bridge that same night and
abandoned it there. I did not want people to
trace her corpse to me. When I got home, I
buried her wallet, handset, bangle and ring
behind my house.
"I did not kill her. I am an Alfa , I do favour
charms for traders. I met Raliatu in 1986.
Since then, we have been family friends.
She used to come to my place for
consultation and I had been to her house
too."
One of Kareem's children, Abdullahi, said
the family wanted Akanbi to produce the
corpse of their mother so that they could
bury her appropriately.
He said, "I have seen the man in our house
a number of times. But he said she died in
his house and he now took her corpse to
Marina Bridge and abandoned it. We want
him to produce that corpse so that we can
bury her appropriately."
The family said Akanbi might have dumped
Kareem's corpse in the lagoon as they
could not find it on the Marine Bridge where
Akanbi claimed he had dropped it. After
contacting all relevant agencies in the state,
the family said the corpse had yet to be
found.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations
Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the
case.
He said, "The case has been transferred to
the State Criminal Investigations
Department, Yaba, for further investigation."
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