A 20-year-old rubber tapper has been arrested in Edo State for killing an Okadaman so that he could steal his motorcycle.
The Edo State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old man, Cephas Appaf, for allegedly hacking a commercial motorcyclist (Okadaman) to death in the Ovia South-West Local Government Area of the state.
The Benue State Appaf, a rubber tapper, had contracted the victim identified as Anietie Okon, to take him from Ovia to Benin, the state capital on November 3, 2016.
But along the way, the suspect told the unsuspecting victim to make a stopover on the way where he brought out up a cutlass and dealt him severe blows in the neck, before fleeing on the motorcycle.
But luck ran out on him when he wanted to sell the motorcycle as one of the potential buyers was said to have suspected his claim of ownership of the property and reported his suspicion to the chairman of the Okada Union in the town, leading to the arrest of the Appaf by some security operatives attached to an agro-allied firm and handed over to the police in the area.
Speaking on the incident, the suspect who was paraded by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Haliru Gwandu,denied any intention to kill the man and blamed his action on poverty.
“He (victim) took me on his motorcycle and on our way from Benin, I saw a cutlass at a rubber plantation. Then I told him to stop, take the cutlass and cut him in the neck.
I did not plan to kill him; it was because of poverty. I took the motorcycle to another community to sell. But I could not sell it because it was identified as a stolen motorcycle.
The residents of the community said the motorcycle was stolen and that they would follow me to where I reside to verify the ownership of the motorcycle.
As we were going, some security men stopped us and the residents explained to the security men that they suspected the motorcycle I was riding did not belong to me.
So, I was taken to a police station. I regret what I have done.”
The Police Commissioner who said the case was still under investigation, promised that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as the police are done with the investigation.
0 Comments