Photo: 22-year-old stabbed to death in Lagos church

A 22-year-old man, Tope Kadiri, who was on a visit to his parents at an orthodox church, has been stabbed to death. The incident happened on Wednesday Sept 10, at Aduragbemi Street, Oworonshoki area of Lagos State.

The fight started on Tuesday evening after the deceased had a face-off with a woman in a house sharing fence with the church building. Kadiri had asked the woman not to throw dirty water from her washing bowl into the church. When the woman’s daughter resisted, the 22-year-old was said to have pulled down some of their clothes spread on the line, which started the fight. The woman’s children were said to have risen in defence of their mother, escalating the crisis.

A resident in the area, who pleaded anonymity, says:

“The fight was settled amicably by the community leaders and both sides agreed to a truce. However, on Wednesday morning, a group of boys living in the woman’s house who were away when the incident happened decided to revisit it. They attacked Kadri and that was how confusion started. He was gagged and stabbed in the chest till he died.”

A member of the Orthodox Church, Isaac Adesegha  said the church had also been attacked on the night preceding the tragedy.

 “They came and broke the window frames of the church and vandalised our property. One of the church members was stabbed in the neck, he could have died.

What was our offence? We asked them to stop throwing water into our compound. We share a low fence with their house and they go beyond their boundary everytime. When they turn on their generators in the night, the fumes enter the residential blocks in the church. We told them to stop, but they refused to listen.The boy that died was just on a visit to his parents who were staying in the church.”

A police source however told Punch that a man who sold foodstuff around the bus stop was attacked by Kadiri’s friends. “They clubbed him and broke his head. He would have died but for police intervention,” he said.

The corpse of the late Kadiri had been deposited at the mortuary, while three suspects had already been arrested.