Man killed trying to separate fighting couple in Oyo

The Beninois arrested for allegedly killing his landlord’s son, one Kofi Kojovi (35), has admitted that he pushed the deceased, Bashiru Oseni, when he came to broker peace between him and his wife while they were fighting, but denied ever hitting him with the wooden handle of a hoe as claimed by people.


Oseni died in the morning of Thursday, August 8, at Gbokan village in Ipapo, Itesiwaju Local Government area of Oyo State while separating Kojovi and his wife, Sadia. He was said to have given up the ghost before he could be taken to any hospital for medical treatment, as blood was coming out of his mouth. The fighting couple has four children between them.

It was learnt that the incident was reported at Otu police station by the deceased’s father, Muraina Adekunle, who is also the Baale of the village. Crime Reports further gathered that Oseni was the only son of his late mother who happened to be one of the wives of the village head.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olabisi-Okuwobi Ilobanafor, confirmed the story, saying that after preliminary investigation at Otu Police Station, the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, for further investigations.

Kojovi was reported to have alleged his wife of having affairs with men in the village, especially labourers who work on her farm. He was said to have descended on the wife on the fateful day, beating her, until Oseni tried to separate the suspect from his wife. Crime Reports further learnt that Kojovi had just returned from his country, Republic of Benin, few weeks before the incident, after spending about three months there.

During an interview, Sadia denied her husband’s allegation, saying that the men being pointed at by her husband were farm hands who were no strangers to him. She added that Kojovi was aware of the fact that she was indebted to some of the men who were yet to collect their wages.

A source told Crime Reports that the villagers did not speak well of the suspect as he was described as a heavy drinker and a lazy man, in contrast to the wife who was said to be very hardworking.

It was learnt that the suspect was charged to Magistrates’ Court Seven, Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Wednesday, August 21 on a one-count charge of murder. The magistrate was said to have ordered that Kojovi be remanded in prison custody while the case was adjourned to October 30.

Source: Tribune