Man murders best friend for refusing to contribute N200 to repay faulty fuse

Punch reports that the suspect and the late Chidi have been close friends for years and lived in the same compound on Saula Sanni Street, Agbado area of the state, until the disagreement which saw them engaging in a bloody fight which saw Kalu, who hails from Abia State, stabbing his friend to death with a broken bottle.

According to reports, the incident occurred after Chidi bluntly contribute money to buy the fuse in their compound worth N500 on Saturday, December 31, 2016, and his refusal led to a fight him and Kalu, a security guard, who allegedly stabbed the victim in the neck and back with the shard of a broken bottle.

It was gathered that Kalu and the late Chidi were so close that they cooked and ate together and were preparing a breakfast on the day when a disagreement broke out between them over a faulty fuse.

The light fuse in the house had reportedly spoilt and the five affected residents were said to have agreed to contribute N200 each to pay an electrician who would fix the fuse but Chidi had refused to pay the money which led to the fight.

In narrating on what led to the bloody fight to the police, the suspect said:

“Simeon (Chidi) and I were co-tenants and friends. We ate together. I came back from work that day in the morning and he said he didn’t have money for breakfast.

I suggested that we should cook beans and garri. I used N100 on me to buy garri. As I was cooking the food, the power went off.

We later discovered that the fault was from a fuse and five of us were affected. The electrician that would fix it said he would collect N1,000.

Two tenants paid, but Simeon did not pay. I went to meet him. He said nobody should disturb him. I told him we had to fix the fault on time because I wanted to watch television and relax at home.

When we were unable to raise the N1,000, the electrician asked us to pay N500 but when we asked Chidi who had collected the N400 two tenants contributed, he could not produce the money.

He said the money was with somebody and that the person had gone out. He said he would beat me with a charm if I disturbed him again.

That was how we started exchanging words. He picked a knife and asked me to come outside. As I was struggling to collect the knife from him, he injured me in the hand and leg. I also smashed a bottle and we started fighting again.

People were many, watching us, but nobody came to separate us. It was after I stabbed him in the back that one man called came to separate us. I didn’t intend to kill him. It was the devil’s handiwork.”

Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Iliyasu, had directed that the case be transferred to the homicide section of the State Criminal and Intelligence Department, Eleweran, for further investigation while the suspect would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.