Lagos landlord beats wife to death, flees

Residents of Solar Power Drive, Igbo Olomu, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State are in shock after a landlord in the community, Omolaja Sodipo, allegedly stabbed his wife, Titilayo, killing her. Sympathisers, friends and family members of the mother of four, trooped to their bungalow on Monday, where Titilayo laid in a pool of blood.

The husband was said to have fled the scene. Community leaders reportedly alerted policemen from the Owutu division, who removed the corpse and deposited it in a mortuary.

Our correspondent, who visited the scene, observed residents discussing the incident. The police had locked up the building.

Although most of the neighbours refused to comment on the tragedy, but it was said that the couple had been married for over seven years and the eldest of the couple’s four children is only five years old.

The relationship was said to be fraught with disagreements, which usually resulted in domestic violence.

A resident, who did not want to be identified, said the disagreements always bordered on the welfare of their four children.

He said, “They came into this community some years ago after building their house. The man, who was formerly dealing in telephone accessories, had been jobless for some time. His wife worked with a private school after giving birth to their fourth child two years ago.  

“But they were always at loggerheads, which led to the man beating up the wife. The man is short-tempered and it appeared the frustration of his joblessness also got into him. We always heard their voices anytime they were quarreling.

“Last night, we heard them fighting again. In the morning, we discovered that the woman had been stabbed in different parts of her body. She was lying lifeless in a pool of blood.”

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victim’s mother lamented that her daughter had been complaining  that her husband was always beating her.

A female resident, who did not want to be identified, told our correspondent that she sighted the suspect walking away from the house around 8am.

A member of the Women Arise for Change Initiative, Obatungashe Adebayo, who spoke for the President, Dr Joe Oke-Odumakin, called for justice for the deceased, urging women in violent relationship to quit before it was too late.

He said, “This is the reason we have been campaigning against gender-based violence. It is becoming rampant. Marriage is not by force. It is certain that before this incident happened, the woman must have been seeing signs that the man could take her life. If you are engaged in a relationship that threatens your life, you should quit.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olarinde Famous-Cole,  said, “We are still searching for the man.  The woman’s corpse has been deposited in a morgue for autopsy.”

Punch