A man, Mr Lucky Obaze, has been allegedly stabbed to death by his tenant during a dispute over a ₦1,500 electricity bill in Boji-Boji Owa, Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State.
The incident, which occurred in the Owa-Oyibu axis of the town, has thrown the community into shock and mourning.
According to details first reported by Ika Weekly Newspaper, the suspect, identified simply as Chiboy and said to be from Calabar, Cross River State, lived with his brother, Victor, in a one-room apartment within the compound owned by the deceased’s late father.
Mr Obaze reportedly resided in the same compound with his wife and six children. An Ika Weekly Newspaper reporter who visited the family home at Iweriebor Lane, Boji-Boji Owa, gathered that the fatal disagreement began when the deceased went to collect the tenant’s electricity bill, a routine arrangement in the compound.
One of the deceased’s children, Master Success Lucky, narrated that the argument escalated into a physical confrontation.
“My father went to collect the light bill of ₦1,500. They started arguing over the money,” he said.
He further recounted that after the initial altercation downstairs, his father returned upstairs to rest, unaware that the situation would worsen.
“Suddenly, Chiboy came upstairs with a knife. I tried to stop him, but he was stronger than me. He entered the parlour where my father was sitting and stabbed him,” the boy said, fighting back tears.
The deceased’s wife, Mrs Helen Obaze, has appealed to security agencies, the Nigerian government, and human rights organisations to ensure that justice is served. She lamented that her husband’s death had left her solely responsible for their six children.
Mrs. Obaze also disclosed that her husband’s remains have been deposited at the mortuary to allow the police to carry out a full investigation.
Confirming the incident to NewsNet Nigeria, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, said the case had been reported and investigations were ongoing.
“The incident is confirmed, and the suspect is presently at large,” Edafe stated.
