I Strangled, Macheted Retired Civil Servant Over N3.45m – Ogun Suspect Tells Police

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 49-year-old transporter, Saburi Lateef, who allegedly confessed to strangling a retired civil servant, Mrs Adedotun Oluwaseun, and inflicting multiple machete cuts on her body during a dispute over N3.45 million.

Lateef, popularly known as Alhaji Oki Osan, was arrested nearly 10 months after the deceased was murdered in her residence at Bode Olude community, Abeokuta.

The suspect was reportedly among those who visited the deceased’s residence to mourn with her family after her death, before subsequent investigations linked him to the killing.

A source at the Homicide Section of the state police command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said sustained investigations and directives from the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the state Commissioner of Police, Olubode Ojajuni, led to the breakthrough.

“At the beginning, there was no link to the perpetrator of the act, but our CP directed that we should do everything possible to unravel the killers,” the source said.

The police source disclosed that investigators suspected the killing might have been motivated by the belief that the deceased had recently collected her retirement benefits, which the suspect allegedly intended to steal.

According to the source, Lateef gained access to the woman’s apartment through a window after removing its burglary proof while she was away attending a friend’s retirement party around the Rounder area of Abeokuta.

He was allegedly searching the apartment when the deceased returned unexpectedly. The suspect reportedly strangled her to prevent her from raising the alarm before picking up a machete and inflicting multiple cuts on different parts of her body.

The source further alleged that Lateef moved the woman’s body to the toilet and placed it on the toilet seat to ascertain whether she was dead. He reportedly spent more than an hour in the apartment during the attack without attracting the attention of neighbours.

However, in his account of the incident, Lateef claimed that he had known the deceased for about 10 years and that their relationship became closer after she moved into her residence at Bode Olude.

He said the disagreement arose after his truck broke down and he could not afford the cost of repairs.

According to him, he eventually sold the vehicle for N3.5 million and gave N50,000 to people who had worked around the place where the truck was parked.

The suspect claimed that he had earlier discussed his plan to acquire another truck with the deceased, who allegedly promised to lend him money.

“I handed over the remaining N3.45 million to her, just to let her know that I actually needed the loan she wanted to give me,” he said.

He alleged that the deceased repeatedly postponed giving him the loan and later declined to return the money when he demanded it.

“On that day, I was determined to collect my money. Though I was drunk, I was just frustrated that I needed my money,” Lateef reportedly said.

He admitted entering the apartment through a window after removing its burglary proof, adding, “When she came, we had a serious disagreement and I strangled her. After that, I picked up a machete in her apartment and inflicted cuts on different parts of her body.”

Meanwhile, the family of the deceased has rejected the suspect’s account, insisting that they neither knew him nor had any knowledge of a financial relationship between him and their mother.

The deceased’s eldest daughter, Mrs Taiwo Atanda, described her mother’s death as mysterious, saying she had spent some time with her on the evening of the incident.

Atanda said her mother visited her on February 27, 2027, after attending a friend’s retirement party around Rounder, Abeokuta, and later returned home as darkness approached.

She explained that her mother usually called the family every morning but failed to do so the following day. The family subsequently tried to reach her on her mobile telephone, which remained switched off.

According to Atanda, she contacted a woman who lived close to her mother’s residence and asked her to check on the deceased. The woman promised to do so after returning from the mosque.

Atanda said the woman later went to the residence with another neighbour after making enquiries at a nearby house, where they learnt that the deceased had not been seen for some days.

They reportedly discovered her body on the toilet seat, bearing multiple machete wounds.

“We don’t know this man. We have been celebrating Christmas with my mother, and we have never seen him in her house. My children used to spend their holidays in her house, and nobody has ever seen him with her,” Atanda said.

She added that the first time she saw Lateef was the day after her mother’s death, when he joined those who visited the family to mourn.

The family called on the police and the Ogun State Government to ensure that justice was served, insisting that the circumstances surrounding the killing must be thoroughly established.

Speaking on the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi Banaseyi, attributed the breakthrough to the persistence, professionalism and commitment of officers of the Command.

He reiterated the Command’s determination to ensure that criminals had no hiding place in the state, assuring residents that anyone found culpable of criminal activities would be made to account for their actions and face the full weight of the law.