RIP ALERT: ‘I Gave My Friend Only One Blow’ Man Who Killed Friend Over Phone.

RIP ALERT: ‘I Gave My Friend Only One Blow’ Man Who Killed
Friend Over Phone.
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Some things are just traps
. Fatai Sabitu, a 19-year-old vulcaniser who was alleged
to have killed his friend, Yusuf Sheu, says he punched
him only once.
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Sabitu, who hails from Abeokuta, Ogun State,
explained that after the 38-year-old slumped, he
rushed him to two different hospitals before he died.
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PUNCH Metro had reported that Sabitu and Sheu,
who both lived on Raji Fashola Road, in the Imude-
Shibiri area of Ojo, Otto Awori Local Council
Development Area, had fought over a stolen phone.
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Our correspondent reported that Sheu, a Kwara State
indigene, bought a phone from the suspect, which
was later discovered to have been stolen.
After the real owner took back his phone, the
deceased was said to have demanded a refund of his
money, which led to a fight.
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The deceased was said to have slumped during the
fight and was confirmed dead in a hospital.
The matter was reported at the Ilemba Hausa Police
Division, and the suspect was arrested.
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It was learnt that while Sheu’s remains were
deposited in a mortuary, the matter was transferred
to the State Department of Criminal Investigation,
Yaba.
The suspect was said to have confessed to police
detectives that he killed the victim, adding that he
acted in self-defence.
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Sabitu, a primary school dropout, told our
correspondent that he was a victim of bad
companionship.
He claimed that Sheu was the one who stole the
phone, adding that after the owner found it and
collected it back, the deceased attacked him.
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He said the deceased believed that he was the one
who exposed him.
He said, “We have known each other for about three
years now. I am a vulcaniser, and he worked in a
hotel. We lived within the same community. He used
to drink a lot and he introduced me to a lot of bad
things, like the tattoo in my arm.
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“He had stolen a woman’s phone and I saw him when
he took it, but I didn’t say anything. He went and used
the phone to borrow money from one of his friends
in the area.
“The owner of the phone, who had been looking for
it, later saw it in the man’s hand and picked a fight.
The man then explained how he came about the
phone.
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“The owner of the phone took it back, and Sheu was
ordered to return the money he borrowed from the
man.
“He was angry and thought I was the one that
exposed him. He came to meet me where I was and
started punching me; I had to fight back. I only gave
him a punch before he slumped to the ground.”
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Sabitu said he took Sheu to a private hospital, where
he was rejected.
He added that the victim was finally admitted in
another hospital, while he left to narrate the incident
to his (Sheu) family and bring them to the hospital.
The suspect said when they returned to the hospital,
they could not find him and the hospital
management told them some people had taken him
away.
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“After searching several hospitals in vain, I decided to
return home. I saw his dead body in front of our
house and some people started beating me. They
drove the police away and were about lynching me
when the Baale (community leader) came and drove
them away. He took me to the police station.
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“My life is ruined because I made him my friend. It
was just a blow that I gave him,” he added.
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PUNCH Metro learnt from a police source that the
autopsy result was being awaited on the matter.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Joe Offor, when
contacted promised to call back our correspondent,
but he had yet to do so.
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Source : PUNCH