By Christopher Oji
Lekan Shonde, a dockworker who allegedly murdered his wife, yesterday voluntarily surrendered himself to the Police.
Shonde was alleged to have strangled his wife, Ronke, a mother of two at their residence on Tiemo Crescent, off Awori Street, Egbeda, Lagos over infidelity and went into hiding .
The Police stepped up manhunt for shonde, but he surrendered himself to the Commander Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command, Tunji Disu.
The RRS commander brought him in a police patrol van to the Headquarters of the Lagos State Police Command, GRA, Ikeja Lagos where the alleged murderer was quizzed by intelligence officers.
Lekan had on Thursday night, killed his wife, Ronke, a mother of two, after accusing her of infidelity.
Although he escaped to unknown destination after the deed was done, he was still in touch with some friends, who finally convinced him to turn himself to the police for investigation.
Lagos State Commissioner of police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, was said to have grilled the suspect for several hours before handing him to officers for further investigation.
The suspect was not allowed to speak with newsmen. He was however transferred immediately to the State Criminal Investigation Department, (SCID), Panti, Yaba, for further interrogation.
It would be recalled that the State police command had on Sunday declared him wanted.
The suspect, who was dressed in a blue shirt and black trousers, was seen walking about the command bare-footed in company with his friends, including the Chairman Campaign Against Impunity And Domestic Violence, Mr Gbenga Soloki .
Although the suspect declined to speak with newsmen, he was heard insisting that he was innocent, just as he insisted that his wife cheated on him and confessed to the unholy act.
One of his friends who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “Our friend killed his wife by mistake. He caught her making phone calls to her lover. She told the lover how he satisfied her sexually. Our friend confronted her and an argument ensued which degenerated into a fight. Lekan pushed her and walked away, not knowing that she had a fatal fall. It was the next morning that Lekan discovered she was dead.
“Lekan regretted what happened which was why he fled the house and had threatened to commit suicide. We kept on prevailing on him to come out from hiding and not to commit suicide. We pleaded with him to remember his kids. The issue of his kids that made him to come out.”
Another of his friend, Sunday Iwobi, who described what happened as unfortunate said: “We convinced him to come out and face the law for the sake of his children. I sent him over 70 text messages. His mother inlaw who loves him so much also appealed to him to come out. He had equally spoken to the intruder who caused the problem.
The lover boy has been begging for forgiveness”
Part of the text reply to Nwobi’s text messages by the suspect read, “Please, help me, I can’t face the Police or cell.”
The manhunt on the suspect was confirmed on Sunday by the Lagos State police command Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of police (SP) who revealed that the matter had been transferred to the Department of State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.
The Stat Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni said, “the man is in our custody and we will make sure that we get to the root of the matter. There will be scientific examination and autopsy to determine the circumstances surrounding her death
