A houseboy has been charged with first-degree murder after he slit his boss’ mother’s throat and ensured she died in Lagos.
The suspect, 18-year-old Hounvenou Yavine(pictured) who is from Benin Republic confessed to killing 78-year-old Mariam Abiola.
The incident happened at Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate, Pen Cinema, Agege on July 1. It was said that initially Yavine’s daily routines were housekeeping and helping his female boss at her shop where she sells alcoholic drinks.
It was gathered that the Beninese teenage boy who came into Nigeria about five months ago later assumed the responsibility of taking care of the aged woman when his boss’ residence in Ikeja was undergoing reconstruction, and they had to relocate to his boss’ relative’s house in Agege where the old woman also lived.
On the day Yavine carried out the dastardly attack, there was nobody at home except him and the old woman. The Abiolas later returned home to meet their mother in a pool of her own blood.
The family reported the matter to the police , and the atrocious act was traced to the Beninese house boy who later owned up to the crime after he was subjected to torture.
When asked what was the motivation behind the murder, it was said that he said he was sent to kill the aged woman.
Yavine appeared at an arraignment at an Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The charge reads, “That you, Hounvenou Yavine, on July 1, 2014 at Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate, Pen Cinema, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one Mariam Abiola, aged 78 years, by stabbing her with a knife on her throat and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”
The police prosecutor, Inspector Asup Feddy, applied for the remand of the defendant in prison pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
He said, “The defendant has actually confessed to the crime and the knife he used in committing the crime has been taken as an exhibit.”
The defence counsel, Imelda Adebambo, however appealed to the court to conduct a preliminary enquiry into the matter, adding that the alleged exhibit had not been recovered by the police.
The Magistrate, E.O. Ogunkanmi, upheld the remand application.
“It is only the High Court that has the power to grant bail in a matter of this nature. The application for remand of the prosecution counsel is hereby granted. The defendant is to be remanded pending legal advice from the DPP. The case file is also to be duplicated,” he said.
The matter was adjourned till September 8, 2014 for legal advice.
