Police Invites Credit Switch chairman, Ope Bademosi's wife Over Husband's Murder

The wife of the late Chairman of Credit Switch Technology, Chief Ope Bademosi, who was murdered at his Parkview Estate residence in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, has been interrogated by the police.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the widow was invited to make a statement following the arrest of the Togolese cook suspected to have murdered her husband.

It had been reported that the cook, identified as Sunday Anani, allegedly stabbed his boss with a knife on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, three days after he was employed.

It was alleged that the suspect fled the home with some valuables belonging to his boss after committing the crime.

The father of four, Bademosi, was reportedly found in a pool of blood by his wife.

The 22-year-old Anani was reportedly arrested by the Ondo State Police Command around 9.30am in Yaba, Ondo Town, on Friday.

Anani, who denied involvement in the murder, claimed that he and the victim were attacked by robbers, who demanded money from his boss.

He claimed that when the assailants were not satisfied with what they got, they killed the late Bademosi.

The case, which was reported at the Ikoyi Police Station, was subsequently transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, Lagos.

There were reports on Monday that the deceased’s wife had been arrested by the police over the incident.

A police source, however, said the woman was “invited” after the Togolese denied involvement in the murder.

“We had to invite the woman after the Togolese denied killing him. And she made her statement. Essentially, the statements of the two of them were not different. The woman said she went out when the thing happened and the Togolese confirmed that. All evidence still points to the Togolese cook,” he said.

Another police source at the SCIID said the deceased’s wife was invited because she was the complainant in the case.

The source stated, “The woman was invited because she made the initial report at the Ikoyi Police Division. Since she is the complainant, it is only normal for her to be invited to make a statement. As I speak, we don’t have anything on her and she is not being detained.

“The main suspects in custody are the Togolese cook, the person who harboured him in Ondo State where he was arrested, and the gateman of the house. If at the end of investigation the cook is innocent, the appropriate thing will be done. But we will certainly get to the root of the case.”

An audio clip had circulated on the social media on Monday in which an unidentified man, who spoke in an Ondo dialect on the telephone, was purportedly talking to another man he identified as ‘Iroko’ and accusing the widow of the deceased as being responsible for the murder and that the police had arrested her.

This fuelled insinuations that the ‘Iroko’ was the Presidential candidate of the Zenith Labour Party and a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who goes by same appellation as his political identity.

Reacting to this, Mimiko said in a statement, “I am forced to react to an audio message purportedly between a person called Iroko and an unidentified Ondo guy concerning the investigation into the gruesome murder of Chief Ope Bademosi, a fellow Ondo indigene.

“After receiving several calls from people, it became exigent on me because of the similarity to my political appellation of ‘Iroko’, to declare unequivocally that I neither entered into any such discussion with anybody nor did I have any inkling into the thrust of law enforcement’s investigation into the killing.

“As someone close to me, I have, in company with other friends, paid a condolence visit to the wife a day after the passing of Chief Bademosi. People of good conscience should be repulsed and affronted by the dastardly use to which unconscionable people have put the social media.”

Meanwhile, the deceased’s family on Monday urged the public to avoid speculation on those behind Bademosi’s killing.

A representative of the family, Fiyinfoluwa Bademosi, in a statement, said they were waiting for the outcome of police investigation.

He said, “The family appreciates the genuine condolences and prayers from all and sundry, as we mourn the departure of a great man, business icon, community leader and a loving family man.

“It is, however, with a heavy heart that the family, at this moment of grief, will have to be inundated with statements and insinuations on the social media from frivolous individuals, who have no business in representing the family on this matter.

“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to all our friends, associates and the public in general to please disregard any statements from any quarters other than from the immediate family, which I solely represent and solicit your continued prayers and well wishes.

“The family is united and the comfort of the Lord is our strength. In due time, the obsequies will be made public. Meanwhile, we are awaiting the conclusion of police investigations.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, during a briefing at the command headquarters, Ikeja, said the command was still investigating the incident.

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Imohimi noted that the police were still awaiting the autopsy report and results from forensic experts, adding that a comprehensive report would be released to the public at the end of investigation.