Police arrest farmer for alleged murder of business partner

The Police in Enugu State has arrested one Sampson Nwaobasi, an Enugu-based farmer, for allegedly killing his business partner, Mr Friday Ani, over payment of proceed made in farming business.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement on Monday in Enugu that the incident happened on July 31 in Agbani community; while the suspect was arrested on Aug. 7 by police operatives.

Amaraizu said that the deceased and one Paul Eze were all partners in the farming of cucumber as the deceased and Eze had raised money to the suspect, who does the farming, sells same and shares profits.

“It was gathered that his victim, Ani, a student of Enugu State University of Science and Technology and his business associate had met his untimely dead when he had demanded from the suspect payment of his share of the proceed.

“It was gathered they were to share N6 million as the business thrived for four months; however, the suspect allegedly started avoiding his partners which made them believe that he may have craftily reinvested the proceed without them knowing.

“The deceased traced the suspect to the farm to find out what has been happening; and in the farm, misunderstanding arose between them which allegedly resulted in the killing of Ani by the suspect and burying him inside the bush.

“The deceased was said to have been reported missing by relations who could not immediately find out what happened.

“Following suspicious ways the story appeared, Commissioner of Police, Mr Sulaiman Balarabe, directed for investigation in which the suspect was nabbed by police operatives in partnership with neighborhood watch group members from the community where he was hiding,’’ he said.

The police spokesman said that the suspect had been helping police operatives in their investigation in relation to how he allegedly killed his victim and quickly buried him inside the bush.

Amaraizu noted that the suspect had however maintained in his confessionary statement that the money in question is not to the tune of N6 million but N300,000.

He said that the suspect also maintained that he never wanted to kill the deceased and that the deceased wanted to kill him over the money but he had to struggle-out the knife from him and stabbed him to death. (NAN)