A man simply identified as John has reportedly lost his life after his friend, Akinola Adeleye, allegedly killed him by stabbing him to death during an argument over who should pay for a plate of food.
The incident reportedly happened in the Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State.
According to reports, the two men had a fallout over who should pay for the plate of food Akinola had eaten, and in the course of the disagreement that degenerated into a fight, Akinola stabbed and killed John with a knife.
It was further revealed that the victim had been squatting in the house of the suspect when they had the disagreement.
Narrating the incident, a resident in the area, Ugochukwu, told newsmen on Wednesday that “it happened that Akinola went and ate a plate of food in their usual buka, and after eating instead of paying, he asked them to add his bill to the account of his friend, who wasn’t there with him at that time.
“So, when the victim went to eat at the local restaurant, they informed him that he owed them for the food his friend ate. He was surprised and angry that his friend would ask them to bill him without even telling him about it.
“So, he quickly finished his meal and went home to confront his friend about the debt that was passed down to him. That was how they started quarrelling. As they were fighting over the matter, Akinola, out of anger, asked John to pack out of his house immediately, but John refused, and the fight intensified.
“Before anyone knew what was happening, Akinola left the scene of the fight, rushed back with a knife, and stabbed John. We had assumed the fight was over when Akinola left, only for us to see him rush at John with the knife.
“Before we could do anything, John was on the ground, and blood was gushing out from his body. Everywhere became scattered in confusion.”
Ugochukwu further revealed that, amidst the confusion, Akinola wanted to escape the scene but was nabbed by some young men in the area.
Dada, another resident in the area, told newsmen that he saw the corpse of the man who had been killed wheeled past his shop to the junction of the street on the day the incident happened.
He stated that according to what he gathered from the neighbours, the corpse was wheeled out when the policemen who were contacted said they wouldn’t enter the street because of the volatile nature of the area.
He said, “They called the police to come to the area, but the policemen refused, saying that the area was too dangerous and that they should bring the dead man and the suspect to the junction.
“They carried the body on a wheelbarrow to the junction. The boys in the area then handed the suspect to the police.”
Speaking on the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect had already been taken to the State Criminal Investigations Department.
He further revealed that the case would be charged to court on Friday.
