Posted by By MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja on
Is Alhaji Uba Abdullahi, a middle aged Abuja-based businessman, a serial killer or ritualist? That is the puzzle homicide detectives at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command are battling to unravel as investigations continue into circumstances surrounding the recent murder of a lady in Abuja .
•Lady found butchered in his car
Is Alhaji Uba Abdullahi, a middle aged Abuja-based businessman, a serial killer or ritualist? That is the puzzle homicide detectives at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command are battling to unravel as investigations continue into circumstances surrounding the recent murder of a lady in Abuja .
The victim, late Miss Mary Danladi, a fashion designer who hailed from Kaduna state, was allegedly killed by Abdullahi in the wee hours of penultimate Wednesday, after he took her to a garden in the Garki district of the federal capital city for a round of sex.
As at press time, what actually transpired between Abdullahi and Mary before she was brutally murdered remained a subject of controversy, but the police said Abdullahi used a sharp knife to cut her throat before dumping her lifeless body in a farm located behind Sahaad Stores at Area 11, Garki, a fact admitted by the suspect.
However, that confession seems the last point of agreement between Abdullahi and his interrogators. While the police said investigations have revealed that the deceased had gone to attend a church service at Jabi, but never returned home, the suspect claimed she was a call girl whom he picked close to the popular Rita Lori hotel in Garki 11, at about12.30am of the fateful day.
Abdullahi, who confessed to killing Mary, claimed his libido pushed him to commit the act as he could not tame his anger when the deceased allegedly reneged on their greement to have a bout of sex for a fee of N1,500 which he had already paid her.
"On that day, I had a strong desire to have sex. So, I went out and picked this lady close to Rita Lori hotel. I wanted to take her to Wuse Zone 6, but she suggested that we should go to a garden behind Sahaad Stores, and I agreed.
"When we got there, I brought out a bundle of money amounting to about N10,000 and paid her the sum of N1000 which we had initially agreed for short time. When she saw the money, she said she would no longer collect N1000, that I should pay her N1,500, which I did.
"Again, she increased the money to N2000, and I became angry. So, we started struggling inside my car, and she died in the process", Abdullahi claimed while narrating how his desire for fun turned sour.
After snuffing life out of the hapless lady, he moved swiftly to where he parked his Honda Accord wagon car marked AG 847 SUL, and was cleaning the blood stains on the back seat to cover up his tracks, when a police patrol team pulled up.
When the cops attempted to check what was wrong with the car, he allegedly zoomed off and was chased until he was apprehended. Though already suspicious, the policemen were shocked to discover fresh blood spattered all over the car.
On being interrogated, Abdullahi claimed it was "Zobo", a local drink with a semblance of blood. When it dawned on him that the game was up, he confessed and led detectives to a farm where he dumped the corpse of his victim at Uke street , behind Sahaad supermarket. So far, the police have not been able to ascertain the actual motive for the act, beyond the suspect's claim that the lady died during a scuffle over the fee for a round of sex.
Simeon Medinda, a deputy commissioner of police [DCP], and officer in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department at the FCT police command told Sunday Sun that the police will not be able to establish a case of ritual killing until autopsy is conducted.
Said he: "We've almost concluded investigations, but we've not established a case of ritual killing until autopsy is conducted. The only reason he gave for committing the act is that after paying her the sum of N2000, the deceased denied him sex. He also claimed it was her choice to have sex with him inside the vehicle close to a farm where her body was eventually recovered".
But the acting Inspector General of police, Mike Okiro, says Abdullahi is evidently a ritualist. "The man is a killer. He is a ritualist. The uncle to the deceased had come to say that the girl is not a prostitute. That she was sent on an errand and never returned. We don't know how and where the Alhaji carried her. But all these stories he is telling about bargaining for money for sex are all lies. It's just an attempt to cover up", the IGP said.
He warned members of the public, especially females, against accepting offer of lift from unknown persons whom he said may turn out to be armed robbers or murderers.