A 55-year- old Muslim cleric Mr. Isiaka Akanbi popularly referred to as “Alfa”, has been arraigned by the Lagos state police for allegedly murdering a 62-year-old woman, Raliatu Kareem and making away with her wallet and some other valuables.
According to a Punch report on Monday, November 17, 2014, the cleric owns a traditional healing home on Lawani Street, in the Olodi Apapa area of the state and the deceased who hails from Ilorin, Kwara state had been his regular customer for about 20 years.
Trouble started on Saturday, October 25, 2014, when the victim left her house at Ope-Ewe Street, Agbado Ijaiye, to visit an elder sister, Risikatu Raheem, whose daughter had put to bed at Olodi Apapa area.
Kareem reportedly told her 20-year-old son Abdullahi, before she left after the monthly environmental exercise.
It was learnt that she had left her sister’s house around 6pm on the aforementioned date for the cleric’s healing home. Her family were said to have set out in search of her when she failed to return after two days.
Being aware of the deceased relationship with the cleric, they headed to his place to check on her but the cleric vehemently denied seeing the woman.
They suspected foul play when hours later, the cleric was seen hurriedly packing his loads in a bid to run away from the scene. The family immediately contacted police officials at the Tolu Police Station who arrested the cleric afterwards.
During a police interrogation, Akanbi claimed that he did not kill the woman although she died in his place.
He said, “On the evening of October 26, it is true that she visited me. We have been very good friends too. On that day, she just collapsed and became unconscious. I quickly rushed her to a nearby hospital, but I was shocked when the nurses told me she had died.
“I got a NAPEP tricycle and took her corpse to the Marine Bridge that same night and abandoned it there. I did not want people to trace her corpse to me. When I got home, I buried her wallet, handset, bangle and ring behind my house.
“I did not kill her. I am an Alfa, I do favour charms for traders. I met Raliatu in 1986. Since then, we have been family friends. She used to come to my place for consultation and I had been to her house too.”
In reaction,Kareem’s son, Abdullahi, said, “I have seen the man in our house a number of times. But he said she died in his house and he now took her corpse to Marina Bridge and abandoned it. We want him to produce that corpse so that we can bury her appropriately.”
Confirming the case, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu said, “The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, Yaba, for further investigation.”
