A jealous husband who killed his wife over suspected infidelity and dumped her corpse in the bush has been arrested.
The suspect, Ismaila Salau, 45, killed his wife, a mother of two, by hitting her with a pestle.
When it dawned on him that he had killed her, Salau dragged her body into the bush and abandoned it there.
He later went to the police to report his wife missing.
Salau killed his wife, Silifat Yakubu, at 18, Igbele village area, Araromi, Badagry area of the Lagos State.
Police said Salau, an electrician, returned from office and could not find his wife at home.
He waited several hours until the woman came home around 11pm.
Before that day, the couple had been having incessant quarrels over the wife’s alleged cheating.
A few minutes after the housewife arrived home, accusations and counter accusations started.
Salau was said to have accused his wife of adultery.
Apparently blinded with anger, Salau picked a pestle and smashed it on the forehead of his wife.
She died on the spot.
Fielding questions from homicide policemen attached to the State Criminal Investigations Department, Yaba, Lagos State, Salau cried that he never meant to kill Silifat.
He said he was shocked to discover that Silifat died after he slammed the pestle on her head.
He said he was confused and did not know what to do.
He then decided to wait until midnight to move the corpse.
Salau was quoted to have said: “When it was midnight, I dragged her body into the bush and left it there.
“Two days later, I went to the police to report that Silifat was missing.
“Before I went to the police, I organized a search party.
“The search party was led by the Baale of our village.”
But before the search was organized, the elder brother of Silifat had come looking for her.
Salau told him that she travelled.
Salau said that Silifat will be back in another three days.
After the man left, Salau told people around that his wife was missing.
The search party eventually found the corpse of Silifat in the bush.
But everyone became suspicious after they noticed bruises and injuries on her body.
A police source said: “After discovering the body in the bush, the husband was invited to come and identify the corpse.
“But Salau said the corpse was not that of his wife.
Salau before then had gone home to destroy all evidences that could reveal what transpired on the fateful day he killed his wife.
“The Baale later invited police after the brutalized corpse of Silifat was discovered in the bush.”
Salau was eventually arrested based on the suspicion that he knew more than he was letting on.
Salau’s story of his missing wife did not tally with the story he told Silifat’s brother that the lady travelled.
Under the heat of interrogation, Salau caved in.
He alleged that Silifat was dating too many men.
He told the police that before now, they had been having serious misunderstanding over her alleged infidelity.
He reluctantly told police how he killed and attempted to conceal the deed.