Untold story of Lagos hotelier allegedly killed by wife

Untold story of Lagos hotelier allegedly killed by wife

Deceased hotelier's wife stabbed him twice in Nigeria, Dubai before last attack Late husband bought her N12m car, N500,000 phone as birthday gifts last December Money transferred from Hotel's account to wife's sister on day of incident Police detain deceased hotelier's widow, three others at SCID

Untold story  of Lagos hotelier  allegedly killed  by wife

The tragic death of a Lagos hotelier who was allegedly killed by his wife over suspected act of infidelity is still generating ripples as close family members opened up on the events that led to his death, KUNLE AKINRINADE reports.

The dust raised by the death of Alaba Bakare, a 36-year-old Lagos businessman and owner of Bama Hotel in Ojokoro Area of Lagos, is yet to settle as family members of the deceased are demanding justice.

Bakare, the owner of Bama Hotel located in Ojokoro part of Lagos was said to have been killed with a hot pressing iron by his 27-year-old wife, Motunrayo Oluwatoyin, at their residence on Finance Road, Maplewood Estate in Oko-Oba area of Lagos State in the early hours of January 24.

Motunrayo was said to have accused her deceased husband of infidelity, resulting in a fight during which she stamped a hot pressing iron Bakare’s chest.

Motunrayo, a native of Ibeshe in Yewa Area of Ogun State, has since been kept in police custody.

Family members insist that only the dispensation of justice in the matter can assuage the pain of losing Bakare, who they described as their breadwinner.

One of his relatives, Mrs. Funmilayo Abiola describing the death of Bakare as an act of wickedness, one of his relatives, Mrs Funmilayo Abiola, said it was the third time that Motunrayo would make an on the life of her now deceased husband.

She said: “I am a sister to the deceased. This is the third time the woman (Bakare’s wife) would attack her husband.

“First, she stabbed him at their residence during a misunderstanding. To avoid her trouble, my brother fled to Dubai, but his wife trailed him to Dubai and stabbed him again during an argument.

“He reported the incident to his father and sought treatment at a hospital in Dubai before they both returned to Nigeria.

“I learnt they quarrelled all night, during which she attacked him again, leading to his death.”

Mrs Abiola, who said the couple had been married for about 11 years with three children, described the late Bakare as a reserved individual who would not flirt around with other women, adding that one would ordinarily expect a peaceful home with such a man.

She added: “His wife does not want any of his family members around him. Not even her father-in-law who she humiliated by not serving him any meal when the man visited his son at their residence in Maplewood Estate.”

Our correspondent gathered that Bakare paid Motunrayo the sum of N250,000 as monthly upkeep besides other perks, and she was also the one managing Bama Hotel.

“What else does she want? Just last month (December 2021), my brother bought an iPhone worth N500,000 and a brand new N12 million Mercedes  Benz car for this same woman on her birthday. Yet she killed him,” Mrs. Abiola wondered.

Continuing, she said: “My brother told us (his family members) on the day of their engagement that his wife was a food vendor around his workplace.

“I told him that I had a reservation about their relationship because he was learned, but he insisted that he loved her.

“She suspected that he was seeing another woman, so she attacked him.

“We want justice for my brother. We want her prosecuted for her wickedness,” she added.

An employee of the deceased’s haulage and merchandise company, Monday Tanimowo, who said he was around when the couple started quarrelling,  explained that Bakare’s wife picked a quarrel with him and warned him to stop coming to their house as he had visited his boss on the day the quarrel occurred.

Tanimowo said: I am one of his employees at his courier and merchandise company. The company imports goods from overseas and it is also into haulage.

“I used to live with the couple until June last year when I moved out of their home.

“However, I was at their residence when their argument started on the eve of his death.

“I actually went there on the invitation of my boss to fix his children’s computer, which my boss said the children needed to carry out some school assignments.

“When I got there, I met his wife coming down from their apartment to the middle floor, and she did not acknowledge my greetings.

“She later came to me as I was discussing with her husband, accusing me that I refused to heed her warning that I should stop visiting her husband at home.

“Her husband asked her if she didn’t want anyone to come close to him but she gave no response.

“My boss then asked me to leave, saying that he would speak with me on the phone. By the time, he spoke with me on the phone later that evening, I heard his wife in the background shouting at him on top of her voice, saying that whatever she wanted was what my boss must do.”

Tanimowo said he was expecting to hear from his boss the next day only to receive a call that he was rushed to the hospital after he fainted.

He said: My boss had promised to see me today, but I was shocked this morning when I received a call that he fainted and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

“I immediately called his sister on the phone and she said she was already aware and was on her way to see him at the hospital.

“Sadly, when I reached here, I was told that he had given up the ghost.”

Drama over money transferred from deceased’s hotel’s account

A mild drama occurred amid a crowd of sympathisers at the All Souls Hospital, Elere, Agege where Bakare died, as a lady named Sarah Sayo was accused of transferring some money from the account of Bama Hotel belonging to the deceased to an unnamed person.

Sarah however, explained that she transferred the said money to the unidentified person on the instruction of a relative of the deceased’s wife.

She said: “I live with the couple and work in Bama Hotel owned by the late Mr. Bakare. I am in charge of the hotel’s account and I report directly to the wife of the deceased owner.

“This morning, I was instructed by Bola, a sister to Mrs. Bakare, to transfer the sum of N50,000 each to her account and another account belonging to someone, and I did.

“I don’t know the owner of the account, but Bola asked me to transfer the money tothe person’s account on the instruction of his sister, Mrs. Bakare.”

Last moments of the deceased

Contrary to reports in a section of the media that the late Bakare was drugged before he was killed by his wife, our correspondent gathered that he was actually overpowered after he returned home weak from the drinks he took when he left to avoid his wife’s trouble.

Older brother to the deceased, Jide Bakare, said: “About 10 family members of the wife are living with the couple.

“At about 7.15 pm on Sunday, January 23, Alaba (Bakare) told me on the phone that his wife had started making trouble with him again.

“At a point, he started struggling with his wife when she attempted to take the phone from him.

“I tried to engage him further on the phone but he was not picking his call anymore.

“I later tried calling his wife about five times on her mobile phone but she wouldn’t pick her call either until this morning when she told me on the phone that my brother slumped and was rushed to the hospital.

“I came here and met his lifeless body.

“I have gone to their residence on countless times to settle quarrels between them each time his wife fought with him on suspicion of flirting with other women.

“The last fight that led to his death was triggered by the wife’s suspicion that he was dating a lady who works in his hotel.

“When my brother reported her to me yesterday, I asked him to leave his home and relax outside in order to let her anger subside.

“So, he left home for Starland Lounge and asked me to join him there. But I declined because I had warned him to always leave home each time his wife comes up with her trouble.

“I guess he was weak due to the drinks he took, hence his wife was able to fatally injure him while he was in bed.”

Responding via a Whatsapp statement forwarded to our correspondent, police spokesman, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said Motunrayo had been arrested alongside three others and was being investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

The statement reads in part: “The body has been deposited at Yaba Mainland Hospital’s morgue for autopsy.

“The deceased’s wife and three others have been arrested in connection with the suspected murder case.

“Meanwhile, the case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, (SCID) Panti, Yaba, for diligent investigation on the order of the Commissioner of Police,   CP Abiodun Alabi.”

It was learnt that the three other suspects comprised relatives of Bakare’s wife and an employee of her husband’s hotel suspected of complicity in his death.

Impeccable sources at SCID, Panti, Yaba, however, told our correspondent that Motunrayo, during preliminary interrogation claimed that she did not know that the pressing iron could kill her husband when she attacked him with it.”