A 53-year-old drinks and pepper soup shop owner, Dennis Obioma, has admitted killing one of his customers in a fit of rage because the deceased and two of his friends were smoking Indian hemp in front of his shop.
Obioma, who is being detained at the Homicide section of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID), Panti Street, Yaba, said, “I regret my action because the deceased was a young man I knew. I stabbed him in anger.”
The suspect said he had got three telephone calls from an unknown number on January 22, 2020, which was the day of the incident, and rushed to his bar located opposite his residence at No. 17, Jogunosimi Street, Alausa, Ikeja, to see the deceased, one Ifeanyi, and two other persons smoking weed suspected to be Indian hemp in front of his bar.
According to him, all efforts to make the three young men stop further smoking in front of his shop failed.
“In a fit of rage, I grabbed hold of the chairs they were sitting on, which are mine, and threw them into my shop. While I was inside, one of the guys, who I later identified as Emeka, started destroying my electronic appliances. He smashed my television. To save what was left of my belongings, I pushed him out of my shop.
“The next thing I saw is that Ifeanyi grabbed a bottle and smashed it on my head. I ran into the inner part of the shop where we prepare food. I grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Ifeanyi on his chest. He fell down in a pool of blood holding his chest.
“I regret my action now because Ifeanyi was like my younger brother. I contributed cash when his father died three years ago. If I was not gripped by anger, I don’t think I would kill anyone,” he told the police.
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