Kwara state police command has arrested a herbalist, one Femi Emmanuel, for allegedly causing the death of a 45-year-old woman and a mother of two, Mrs Tawakalitu Mukaila.
The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the alleged death of Tawakalitu in the house of Emmanuel in Ila-Odo-owa, in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara state, had thrown the family of the deceased into mourning.
Tawakalitu, a trader and resident of Ago-Oru Area of Omu-Aran, it was gathered was said to have been accosted by Emmanuel while hawking rice and beans inside Omu-Aran market a few months ago.
It was learnt that Emmanuel had, during the encounter, told Tawakalitu that she and her family were under spiritual spell and attack which needed urgent deliverance.
Emmanuel was said to have corroborated his claim by narrating with exact precise some past negative incident in the family of the deceased, Tawakalitu, who hailed from Isale-Oyo in Oyo State.
Tawakalitu’s husband, Mukaila, a driver who hailed from Oke-ode, a Kwara Suburb, had involved in a ghastly motor accident about four years ago which had incapacitated him and made the use of his both legs impossible except with crutches.
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It was gathered that after constant pressure and with the aid of alleged charm, Emmanuel was said to have met the deceased inside the same market on Thursday, March 21, in Omu-Aran and ordered her to his house in Ila-Odo-owa.
Tawakalitu was said to have immediately left her wares and headed to Emmanuel’s place along with her 17-year-old niece, identified as Azeezat, an SS1 student.
Mukaila while narrating the circumstances of Tawakalitu’s death said she was an honest, trustworthy and caring woman who had never involved herself in any indecency acts.
“She was the breadwinner of the family, trustworthy and very caring even after my accident left me incapacitated. Her sudden death this way remained a mystery to me.
“On that fateful day, a few months ago Tawa told me about what one Emmanuel, a spiritual told him while hawking inside Omu-Aran market and I told her to ignore such fake antics from the said spiritualist.
“But after then my wife will always complain about the pressure from the same Emmanuel and I cannot stop her from doing her legitimate business which she has been using to feed us, more so I’m not that fit.
“Not until Thursday, March 21, that she disappeared with her nice, Azeezat and we became worried and all efforts to locate her by a search party proved abortive.
Narrating further Mukaila said it was on Sunday morning that Azeezat suddenly appeared looking pale and exhausted and narrated to them what transpired between the deceased and the spiritualist at Ila-Odo-owa.
“Azeezat told us that she and Tawakalitu slept in the house of the spiritualist on Thursday and Friday nights and that on Saturday morning he gave Tawakalitu a concoction to drink with pap.
“She said after drinking the concoction Emmanuel gave her (Tawakalitu) a bowl where she vomited some liquid portions which the spiritualist took away.
“Azeezat said it was after vomiting that Tawakalitu became very weak, exhausted and unconscious and died a few minutes later.
According to Mukaila, Azeezat claimed that after she died Emmanuel bundled her body inside a room, locked them together with a warning that she too would die in the same manner if she dared narrate what happened to anybody.
“Azeezat told us that it was on Sunday morning, tired and exhausted without food, that she escaped from the house of the spiritualist leaving behind Tawakalitu’s dead body.
Mukaila narrated further that it was Emmanuel; sensing danger after Azeezat had escaped, who now reported the death of Tawakalitu to the palace of the Olota of Odo-Owa, Oba Josuha Adimula, who in turn briefed the Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Abduraheem Adeoti.
He said it was after due consultation between the two monarchs and judging from the enormity of the case at hand that the case was reported to Iloffa police command in Oke-Ero Local Government Area and Emmanuel was promptly arrested.
The Divisional Police Officer in Iloffa was not around when contacted to enquire about the incident on Thursday, March 28, but a senior police officer in the command, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the incident.
He said the case file with the suspect, the body of the victim and her niece had been transferred to the Police Headquarters in Ilorin for further investigation.
The source said it took the intervention of the policemen in the command that prevented the suspect from being lynched by an irate mob that had gathered at his house during his arrest.
Mukaila’s landlord, Chief Ganiyu Popoola, who is the Elemo-Aran of Omu-Aran, while speaking on the incident, described the family as peace-loving and hardworking.
“They have been living together in my house for about 12 years and it got to a point due to their kindheartedness we decided to give the house to them to live free of charge.
“The deceased is a very honest person and command the confidence and trust of her husband, even after the husband had a very terrible accident about four years ago that left him incapacitated.
“They live together in peace and harmony and you cannot associate her with any act of indecency or adultery,” he said.
“Our appeal is that we want justice to be done in this case and it should not be swept under the carpet for whatsoever reason,” he said.
Mr Rasheed Folorunsho, the immediate brother of the deceased, in his own comments, described her death as shocking and unfortunate.
Folorunsho who lives at Yenbereku in Okuta, Baruten Local Government Area of the state, said she (Tawakalitu) called him on phone a few days before her untimely death.
“She had told me of her intention to join us at Yenbereku on a phone for her to participate in the cashew business together so that she will have enough money for the family.
“It was on Thursday I was told of her disappearance and eventual death on Saturday on phone and I quickly left for Omu-Aran”, he said.
Miss Mutiat Mukaila, 17, an SSI student and the deceased’s daughter, described her mother as very caring, loving and hardworking.
“I want the police to be thorough, transparent and efficient in their handling of this case so that justice will be served appropriately.
“The case should be handled with the enormity it deserves and should not be swept under the carpet,” she said.
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