Why I Killed 80-Year-Old Man And His Wife In Abuja – Suspect Confesses

The police have arrested a driver named Jonathan Marcus for the murder of an 80-year-old man, Adebola Ezekiel, and his wife, Abiodun (79), in their apartment located in the Apo area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The Nation had reported how the aged couple was found dead in their apartment after they were hacked by their attackers earlier in April.

The man, who was in a wheelchair, and his wife had their throats slit by their assailants who reportedly used daggers.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, parading Marcus alongside other suspects, said the gruesome murder of the couple took place in their residence at Apo Legislative Quarters in Abuja on April 1.

In an interview with The Nation correspondent, Marcus, who hails from Maiduguri, narrated why he killed the couple.

He said as a mechanic, he used to drive the couple most times.

Marcus, who had been driving the couple for 10 years, said he killed them because of the man’s behavior towards him, adding that the deceased octogenarian was not giving him enough money.

He said: “I am from Maiduguri. I killed them because of what they did to me.

“I am a mechanic and I repair the husband’s and wife’s cars.

“Later, the husband decided that I should be driving him.

“As I was driving him, I did not collect any salary; I was just helping out.

“While I was doing this, my job got affected.

“Most times, we would be at a hotel and my customers would be calling me and there was no way to go back to work.

“At times we would leave home by 12 in the afternoon and come back by 4pm. When we came back, he would give me N2,000, N2,500 or N5,000.

“I am a married man. I have children and I am paying house rent.

“I complained to the man but he said God would take control.

“One day, I decided to quit driving him for over one month. He later sent me a message that I was very wicked.

“I later called him and asked if I had ever stolen from him or the wife. He said no, but that I knew his condition.

“I told him to look for another driver but he said no, that I was the only one he liked to go out with. He said I always kept his secrets.

“I did not want to kill the wife, but she was around on that day I went to kill her husband.

“I did not kill them because of money; I killed them because of the way they did not allow me to do my mechanic work and their behavior towards me.

“I had been driving him for more than 10 years, but the man never helped me with even N50,000.

“I killed them out of frustration.”

Asked how he carried out the killings, he said: “I used a knife to kill them. After that I left the house, locked the door and went away with the man’s ATM card and wallet.

“I could not withdraw the money. I tried but I did not succeed.”  

According to Igweh, police detectives trailed the suspect and arrested him in his hideout in Obajana, Kogi State.

Igweh claimed that Marcus freely confessed to having gained access to the house on the same date, slit the deceased’s throat and made away with the phones and ATM cards of the couples.

He said Marcus withdrew N200,000 from the deceased’s account.

The Commissioner of Police also said the command, on April 11, arrested two suspects, for alleged culpable homicide in Mabushi area of Abuja.

Igweh said the suspects were arrested by operatives from Mabushi Division following a tip off that the corpse of one Bilkisu Mohammed was being discreetly conveyed.

“The deceased had earlier visited the house of her supposed boyfriend, who eventually travelled to Kano and left her in the care of the female suspect.

“The deceased allegedly fell ill and was given non-prescribed drugs that led to her death by the male suspect who came into the house on the invitation of the female suspect,” he said.

He said the suspects were in police custody, undergoing interrogation.

Igweh said operatives of the Command from Utako Division, on April 6, in a well-coordinated operation, arrested nine suspected armed robbers.

The CP said the suspects, during interrogation, freely confessed to being part of an armed robbery gang responsible for series of robberies and other heinous crimes in the FCT.

He said four locally fabricated AK 47 rifles, three locally fabricated cartridge rifles, one English pistol and one Dane gun were recovered from the suspects.

Other items recovered from the suspects were three live rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one live round of 5.56mm ammunition and an empty cartridge.

Igwe said police operatives on routine crime prevention patrol at Durumi IDP Camp, on April 9, also intercepted three suspected armed robbers, who were in possession of one English made pistol and a Mazda vehicle registered RBC 117 EV.

The CP said all the suspects would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.