An Abia State Polytechnic student, named Abel, has killed the
landlord of one of the students’ lodges in the Immaculate area of Aba,
Abia State.
Punch Metro learnt that Abel, a final year student
of the Department of Architecture, allegedly stabbed the victim in the
stomach during a disagreement at the lodge.
Punch correspondent was told that the landlord had ordered that no female visitor was allowed to spend the night in the lodge.
The suspect was alleged to have breached the rule and was challenged by the landlord, which led to a fight between them.
In the ensuing scuffle, the suspect was alleged to have grabbed a
knife and stabbed the victim in the stomach, before taking to his heels.
The landlord reportedly died on the spot.
His remains were recovered by the police and deposited in a mortuary.
A student of the institution, who identified herself only as
Beatrice, explained that the caretaker of the lodge was the first to
notice the breach of the rule, adding that he informed the landlord.
She said, “The incident happened around 9pm on June 29. The deceased
had made a rule that no student living in the lodge should bring a lady
to pass the night there. He also made it a rule that every visitor, be
it male or female, must leave before night falls.
“However, the suspect brought home a female guest in the evening and
both of them went inside his room. The caretaker of the lodge saw them
and waited for them to come out, but they didn’t. He then put a call
through to the landlord, who hurriedly went to the building around 9pm.
“On arrival, the landlord barged into the student’s room where he met
both the lady and the student naked. Instead of excusing himself, he
attacked the student with punches. The lady quickly grabbed a wrapper
and ran out of the room into another student’s room in the lodge.
“As the confrontation continued, the student stabbed the landlord
with a knife, put on his boxers and fled that night, leaving the
landlord dead in his room.”
It was learnt that the incident threw the community into confusion as the matter was reported at a police station in the area.
The police were said to have launched a manhunt for the suspect with his picture posted at strategic areas in the school.
When contacted, the Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, Nta
Ogbonnaya, confirmed the murder, but said he could not tell what
transpired between the suspect and the deceased. He said the case file
had been transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigations,
adding that the police would get the fugitive
