Son stabs father to death, lands in trouble in Lagos

BROKEN BOTTLE

A man identified as Nelson has been arraigned before the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja for stabbing his father, Sunday Oamen, to death with a broken bottle.

Patience Oamen, a hairdresser, on Tuesday told the court how his brother stabbed their father.

The suspect is facing one count of murder contrary to Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011, before Justice Hakeem Oshodi.

The Prosecutor, M. T. Adewoye, told the court that Nelson was 33-year-old when he committed the offence on September 18, 2015, at their residence, Block 272, Flat 4, Abesan Estate, Lagos State.

Patience while speaking in the court noted that though Nelson had a good relationship with their father the relationship went sour because their father denied Nelson money on Sunday.

The hairdresser further stated that his brother’s clothes had bloodstain on it on the day of the incident before he ran out of the house.

Patience said, “On the day of the incident, our mother, who sells foodstuffs, was downstairs with me and between noon and 1 p.m., while we were still downstairs, I saw my brother hurriedly coming downstairs with his clothes stained with blood. I called his name but he ran away.”

“The door to the house was locked and I was wondering how he opened the door. I took the keys, opened the door and saw a pool of blood and immediately ran downstairs to call our mother and we both ran upstairs to check on our father and noticed that he had been stabbed.

“He had been stabbed all over his stomach and neck with a broken bottle.”

“We reported the case to the police and three days later, Nelson came to the police station to confess that he stabbed our father to death.”

Patience further stated that Nelson smokes Indian hemp and had once stolen the prepaid meter in the house.

Patience, while being cross-examined by the defence counsel, E. B. Ogogo, reiterated that though she was not in the room when the incident happened, she knew that her brother committed the crime because his clothes were stained with blood.

She added, “I saw him that day but I forgot to put it down in my statement. I was not myself that day because of the shock; that was why I did not remember to write it in my statement.”

“My brother said our father’s spirit was haunting him and that was why he went to the police station to confess.”

The case was adjourned by Justice Oshodi till April 6 for the continuation of trial.