Niyi Abegunde, a painter has been arrested for killing a 69-year-old woman Evangelist, Grace Ajibola, in Oluyole Estate, Ibadan Oyo State.
The painter, aged 34, decided to take her life after discovering she had about N2 million in her account. He came to know about the money after she sent him to withdraw money from her account, using her ATM card.
Niyi Abegunde has been working for the Evangelist, Grace Ajibola is an Evangelist with the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Imole, Agbeni, Ibadan.
A source revealed that, “the latest of such withdrawal on behalf of Ajibola by Abegunde was said to have occurred close to the morning of March 17 when the painter came to her house.”
Report from The Eagle Online had it that “she have finished her usual morning chores and was alone on the house when the young painter came in and strangled and clubbed her to death. He then took her ATM card. Abegunde, whose wife is pregnant, was said to have withdrawn N120,000 from the account with over N2 million before he was nabbed in Akure, Ondo State, where he fled to after killing Ajibola.”
Abegunde told newsmen: “I am a painter and I just got married. My wife is pregnant. I had not killed anybody before now. I have no criminal record. I am from Otun-Ekiti in Ekiti State. I met the woman when I painted her house. This made her to like me. I have been with her for about a year now. I used to run errands for her such as saving money, buying foodstuff and so on. I knew she was rich. I don’t have parents, I don’t move with bad gangs. I know two of her children. One lives in Ibadan while the other lives in Lagos.
“She was not the only one I used to run errands for. I run errands for other elderly people because I like them. I strangled the woman to death in her home in the morning. The young one who was living with her had gone to school when I perpetrated the act. I don’t know what actually came on me when I killed her.” He added.
The Commissioner, Oyo State Police Command, Shina Olukolu, paraded Abegunde with three ATM cards belonging to the victim and the club with which he killed Ajibola.
Olukolu said: “He attacked the woman with a wooden object, strangulated her and later carted away her Tecno cell phone and her three ATM cards having discovered a huge sum of money in the victim’s account when she sent him to withdraw money for her.
“The suspect was later arrested at his hideout in Akure, the Ondo State capital. Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and explained how he withdrew the sum of N120,000 from the victim’s account.” The commissioner added.
Admonishing members of the public to be wary of people they relate with, Olukolu said Abegunde would soon be charged to court.
