The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 41-year-old woman, Chika Orji, for allegedly paying a hired assassin N500,000 to kill her husband.
According to Vanguard, Orji was arrested by operatives from the Area ‘J’ Command, Ajah, for hiring the hitmen to kill her husband of 14 years over a disagreement which led to their separation.
It was gathered that the plan was truncated after one of the assassins, Bright Ikechukwu, was arrested while attempting to break into Orji's house at Jakande Estate in the area and during interrogation, confessed that Chika sent them to murder her husband.
One of those the woman contracted was identified as Ekene, a carpenter who used to work for her husband.
Confessing to her crime during interrogation, Chika, a mother of four, said she was frustrated by her husband and only sent the thugs to teach him a lesson and not to kill him.
“We got married 14 years ago and are blessed with three daughters and a son. All of a sudden, my husband became a wife beater.
He would beat me leaving me with a swollen face and would also threaten to kill me. He chased me out of the house three years ago.
I made several efforts to get my children back, part of which was to report him to human rights offices for settlement.
But he did not honour any of the invitations. Both families have made attempts to settle us, but he would not listen.
He was served with a court warrant over the issue, but he also refused to show up. Along the line, he sold the house we both built for N85 million, but never gave me any dime.
He also stopped our children from visiting me and any attempt to see them always resulted in beating. Out of frustration, I told Ekene, our carpenter, to beat him up.
I did not pay him or hire anyone to kill him. I am a frustrated woman and I am sorry for everything.”
But countering Chika's statement, Ikechukwu, a Delta State-based plumber, told the police that she paid the gang to kill her husband.
“I live in Ogwuashi-Ukwu, Delta State. My friend, Ekene, said he had a job for me. This was three weeks ago.
I hurriedly came to Lagos and stayed with him in Ajah, where I met another of his friend, Samuel. He told us that Madam Chika promised him N500,000 to kill her husband.
Thereafter, he told Samuel to take me to Mr. Orji’s house, to identify the target. We went there and hid inside a tricycle, waiting for Mr. Orji, whom we were told always came to open the gate himself whenever he was returning home.
But on that day, it was his daughter that opened the gate. We went back the next day, yet it was his daughter that opened the gate again.
By the time we went the third day, it was Mr. Orji that opened the gate himself. The plan was to rush to him and stab him eight times in the chest, rib and neck.
But Samuel who was supposed to stab him went to buy cigarette and by the time he came back, our target had gone inside and shut the gate.
Out of frustration, I went back home and told Ekene to give me my own share of the money that I was going home. But he stated that Madam Chika would only pay after the job was done.
I decided to go to Mr. Orji’s apartment to steal instead, to get some money to go back to Delta State.
But as I was trying to jump the fence, somebody raised an alarm which attracted members of a vigilante in the area, who apprehended me. I had to open up when they almost killed me.”
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dolapo Badmos, has confirmed the incident, adding that investigations are still on the suspects would be charged to court soon while efforts are on to arrest the fleeing assassins.
