Lagos, that fateful January 11, 2011, with the hope of coming back home to meet members of his family.
The meeting ended came to a close quite alright, but Afeez didn’t make it to his house at Igando, a Lagos suburb, as he was stabbed to death by one Ahmed Fatai.
The deceased had tried to save Ahmed’s mother, whose son (Ahmed), armed with knife, was pursuing her, as she kept screaming for help. But in an attempt to intervene he lost his own life in the process.
The deceased’s widows and children
When Daily Sun visited Moshalashi Street, where the incident occurred, people gathered round the body of the husband of three wives, who was in the pool of blood.
One of the eyewitnesses, who spoke to the reporter on the condition of anonymity, painted a graphic picture of how the meeting ended and Afeez getting ready to go home before he saw the armed Ahmed pursuing his mother...
“Ahmed’s mother was screaming for help, pleading with the son to spare her life. Afeez went to rescue her, but Ahmed stopped, stared at his face and stabbed him in the neck and chest,” he said.
Ahmed’s father was said to have hired a tricycle known in Lagos as Keke Marwa to rush him to the hospital, but it was too late as the Good Samaritan died few minutes later.
Afeez, a shoemaker, lived at Orile- Iganmu for many years, before he packed into his own house at Igando with his third wife, Taiye, who is said to be five months pregnant. His first widow, Nuratu, who disclosed that they had been married for the past 20 years, said they were friends, before they decided to get married.
She said: “He was my boyfriend, when he was in Boys Academy, Lagos. I’m his first wife. This is his second wife (pointing at a woman). Her name is Kudirat. The third wife is five months pregnant and she is living at Igando. “My husband was a successful shoemaker, and was popular man, I have two boys for him. “He once had a shop at Baale Street, Orile -Iganmu, before he moved to Lagos Island and later, Igando.
He told the third wife that he wanted to attend PDP ward meeting and to return home before 4.30. But he was killed at about 1pm.” The widow also narrated how her husband had earlier refrained himself from going out and restricted his movement to his compound since January. “He just decided to stay at home and prayed, till that fateful day he was murdered. He was a peaceful person, who disliked fighting.
“He could be angry but he never raised his hands on someone,” she revealed. His second widow with whom they had two children, a boy and a girl, said she was informed of his death on phone.
She described him as a good husband, who took care of his wives and children Ahmed’s sister, Modinat, also told Daily Sun how the family concealed the tragic incident from their father because of his failing health.
But the family could not hide the death of his son for too long as the 72-year-old man knew about his murder. Pa Moshood Agboola explained that the deceased was the only one taking care of him.
He lamented: “What am I living again for? The man, who killed my son has killed me, too. Who will take care of me? I’m now 72 years old, Afeez is my first son. The person, who killed him should know that it wasn’t only my son that he killed.
“He was a peace lover, he died, trying to make peace and to save life. His mother died long time ago and I gave him good home training. “I want the government and police to investigate the case properly, and, to bring the suspect to justice. This is what the family wants.” The traditional ruler of the area, Baale Jonathan Balogun, 80, also condemned the action of the suspect.
Meanwhile, residents of Orile-Iganmu said they suspected that Ahmed ran amok few minutes, after he came back from the mosque. According to them, he suffers from what they described as momentary insanity. They claimed it might have been responsible for his action. But the Baale reasoned: “If he suffered from insanity and was stopped from killing his mother, why did he kill another person?”
