Posted by By PAUL OMO OBADAN on
Was it the result of a curse by an orange seller over a taunt or sheer fate at work? These and many more questions continue to haunt Mrs Lucy Sunday, mother of slain Nathaniel Akan.
•Cursed by market woman, killed moments later
Was it the result of a curse by an orange seller over a taunt or sheer fate at work? These and many more questions continue to haunt Mrs Lucy Sunday, mother of slain Nathaniel Akan.
The 45-year-old mother of three and native of Akwa Ibom State is, perhaps, the saddest person at the moment as she mourns the untimely death of 20-year-old Nathaniel, who was allegedly murdered in cold blood.
When Sunday Sun visited their one-room apartment at 22 Majekodunmi Street in the Shogunle area of Lagos State, there was gloom and despair as she recounted how her son was cut down in the prime of his youth by an alleged daughter of Jezebel.
'On August 19, my son went to work at SosaPlast Nigeria Limited, Mushin; he was a Staff Trainee in the Senigraphic section. As he usually does when he comes back from work, he was watching television when one of his friends in the neighbourhood, Edirin (son of an orange seller), came to call him about 11.30pm. I told him not to go out that it was late. Edirin's younger brother, Mamuzo, also came to call him and he refused to answer. Then Edirin sent a friend, Taiye. By that time I was busy doing other things, so my son stood up and went to meet them without my knowledge.
'He met some boys outside and sat down with them. The woman who sells oranges at the frontage had left her trade about 8pm to take a nap inside the house. She packed all the oranges inside but left a sharp knife in the tray and the local lamp called ‘Otupa.' This was unusual as she always packed everything into the house anytime she closes.
'While with his friends outside, my son protested that the smoke from the burning lamp was choking him and affecting his eyes. He told the woman to put out the flame since she was through with her trade for the day. But she did not answer. So my son put off the fire. When the woman came out and asked who put off the flame, all the boys began to laugh, including my son. She asked again after which my son said it was breeze. She then placed a curse that whoever put off the fire, his life will also be put off this night and went back to her room.
Curse at work?
'After a minute or two, a lady called Ganiatu came along with another boy toward where my son and his friends were. One of them was said to have jokingly asked her: ‘What are you coming to buy this night?' But because my son was laughing, the lady confronted him and reportedly asked him: ‘Are you crazy? Do you want to die? Do you want me to shoot you?' She was said to have brought out a knife and stabbed my son in the chest. He did not even know that he had been stabbed and was still telling her that he did not talk to her when I heard his voice.
'I hurried outside and asked my son what happened. He was about following me inside when he heard a sound close to his heart and saw the wound. He immediately grabbed the lady. I also saw the wound and blood began dripping from his chest. Initially I thought the injury was inflicted with her fingernails. As he was about going inside, my son felt weak and had to seat on a bench. Soon after, he began to scream to his friends that he was getting dizzy. So I called his brother to go and buy milk. But before the boy stepped out, my son slumped.
'I grabbed him alone as all the other boys refused to help me and rushed him to a nearby hospital. The doctor inspected my son and told us that Ganiatu had stabbed him in the wrong place. He said there was nothing he could do and he gave us a car asking us to go to the Ikeja General Hospital. There he managed to take one drip and was on the second one when he gave up the ghost.
'My son does not foment trouble; he was very quiet and liked to help others. He never smoked nor drank alcohol. I miss him so much because I suffered to train him from when he was seven years old when his father ran away. The father left almost 15 years now and I take care of the three of them alone.
Suspicion
'I suspect the woman that sells oranges because of the curse she pronounced that night. I heard that any place she sells, she always kills someone.
Mrs Sunday also offered another clue. She claimed that the orange seller's children tricked her son into paying N83,000 rent for a room but that not only Nathaniel's signature was on the receipt. Besides, the receipt did not state where the house is located.
'What they did because they are older than Nathaniel, they confused him into doing all that. We saw the receipt in my son's pocket. I don't know whether that is why they killed him to take over the house. Edirin should be in a better position to tell us where that house is. Edirin's name was on the receipt but Nathaniel signed off for the payment,' Mrs Sunday alleged.
Police investigation
Late Nathaniel's older cousin, Richard Bassey Okon, told Sunday Sun that the case was reported at the Shogunle Divisional Police Station. He, however, expressed surprise that rather than the murder case be reported before 24 hours to a higher police point, which is Panti, nothing was done for over a week before it was taken to Panti.
'Now, they are foot-dragging. Some of the suspects have not been apprehended. For instance, the woman that allegedly placed the curse has absconded. We heard she was detained and released. She has not been apprehended with her two sons, Edinrin and Mamuzo.
When Sunday Sun contacted the investigating police officer (IPO) handling the case, one Inspector Sani of the Homicide Department, Panti, on telephone, he refused to disclose the extent of investigation into the incident. Pressed further, he hung up on our reporter.