Chidi Ejimudo, 38, a businessman and importer of musical equipment was hacked to death at midnight recently in his apartment at Lion Gate, Isashi area of Ojo.
He was brutally killed in the presence of his wife, Vivian Ejimudo and the house girl, Tochi Obi, 13.
An autopsy carried out on the deceased by Dr. U.V. Okeke of the Department of Pathology and Forensic, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, revealed that Chidi had 19 deep cuts on his body, disruption of the lungs and heart and a sharp force trauma, which led to his death.
Considering the manner he was murdered, members of Ejimudo’s family have suspected that the killers of their brother were in the apartment long before they went to bed that night.
They said they suspect that the murder of their brother was planned by insiders, adding that the house consists of six rooms and a fierce dog guards the compound at night.
Senior brother of Chidi, Chief John Ejimudo, wondered why the dog was locked up in the security house the night the attack was carried out.
He said if the dog was not locked up it could have easily overpowered the murderers who were not armed with guns.
According to him, “I was in my house sleeping when I heard a knock around 2.30 a.m. and I inquired who was there and my brother’s wife, Vivian, shouted from outside that my brother has been attacked by two men with cutlasses and that they injured him.
“ I asked her why she didn’t call me on phone but she said the battery on her phone was flat.
“I rushed to the house and right from the staircase, I saw blood everywhere. When I got to his room, I saw him lying on the ground drenched in his blood and I turned him round, called his name and he did not answer. We rushed him to a private hospital in the area where I was told that he was already dead.”
John said the matter was reported at the Isashi Police Station, but that the police were too slow in carrying out investigation of the murder.
He said the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, adding that while the house girl was initially detained, the father of Vivian, Ezinwa Okonkwo, took Vivian away to his house.
According to him, when Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, Bola from SCID came to the house with his men “and saw that the doors or burglary proof were not broken and that the dog was locked up in the cage when the attack took place, he suspected that the killers may have been hiding inside the house before the family went to bed that night and that the killing may be the work of an insider.”
John said that was when Vivian, his brother’s wife, was arrested as the prime suspect by the police along with the house girl and were taken to Panti.
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