A 17-year-old boy, Philip Emmanuel, has confessed to how he and his accomplice, Precious, murdered their employer, Mrs. Adene Iyabode Deborah.
The late Mrs. Adene, a well-known caterer, was found dead in her apartment after being missing for several days. Her body was discovered with multiple stab wounds, and her head had been severed.
The suspect, paraded at the Ondo Police headquarters, revealed that he had worked for the victim for five months before the incident occurred. He claimed that it was Precious, who had only been employed as a driver for two months, who convinced him to commit the crime.
Philip explained that Precious overheard that N150,000 had been deposited into their madam’s account and suggested they kill her to steal the money.
In his words: “I’m here because I killed my madam. Last month, I had been working with her for five months. I was her cook. She had just employed a driver who had only been with us for two weeks. One day, the driver came to me and said N150,000 had just been deposited into madam’s account. He suggested we kill her and take the money. I told him I had never killed anyone before.”
He continued, “On Saturday, madam asked me to help her wash clothes because she was very tired. The driver came around unexpectedly, and madam was surprised, but he explained that he wanted to help her.
“That day, the driver gave me a drink, which I consumed. He then pulled out a cutlass and threatened to kill me if I didn’t comply. We went into the house, and he pushed me inside. He ordered me to strike the woman with the cutlass. I did it, but I started crying immediately.
“After we killed the woman, the driver checked her account and found only N60,000. He gave me N30,000, and I went to Idanre.
“Four days later, we heard that the woman had died. The police called us in to explain when we last saw her. I told them, and they initially let me go home.
“But they called me again and confronted me with evidence of my communication with the driver. That’s when I had to confess.”
Ondo Police Commissioner, Oladipo Abayomi, described Philip as a trusted employee of the deceased and urged residents to be cautious when discussing sensitive financial information, especially around employees or individuals who might misuse such knowledge.
He advised, “Avoid openly discussing financial transactions or other personal matters in the presence of staff or others who do not need to be informed.”
In a shocking confession, Philip revealed that he had conspired with Mrs. Deborah’s driver to kill her. The driver, eager to start a “yahoo” business, suggested they steal her ATM card after overhearing that a large sum of money was soon to be deposited into her account.
“On July 25, 2024, Emmanuel and the driver carried out their horrific plan. After lurking around until the unsuspecting woman fell asleep, they brutally attacked her, stole her ATM card, and withdrew a total of N60,000. The driver remains at large, and efforts to apprehend him are ongoing.”
The Nation
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