A 17-year old domestic staff has narrated how he and his accomplice killed their employer, one Mrs. Adene Iyabode Deborah in Ondo state.
The suspect, Philip Emmanuel, made the confession while being paraded at the Ondo state police headquarters on Wednesday.
According to the Police Commissioner, Oladipo Abayomi, the late Adene, an Akure based popular caterer, was found dead inside her apartment after not being seen for some days. She was stabbed severally and her head severed.
The suspect, Philip, said he had worked with the victim for five months before the incident, adding that it was Precious, employed as a driver for only two months, that lured him to commit the crime.
According to him, Precious had overheard that N150,000 was paid into their employer’s account, and approached him and suggested that they should kill her and collect the money. Philip told him that he had never killed anyone before.
“On Saturday, madam said I should come and help her wash clothes that she was very tired. The driver came around and madam was surprised but the driver explained that he wanted to help her.
“That day, the driver brought a drink and gave to me. I drank it. He brought out a cutlass and started threatening me that he will also kill me.
“We went into the house and he pushed me inside. He said I should use cutlass to hit the woman. I did it. But I started crying”.
After they had commited the crime, Precious went to check the account and found only N60,000.
“He gave me N30,000. I went to Idanre”, Philip said.
“After four days, we heard the woman has died. Police called us to come and explain when last we saw the woman. I told them and they asked me to go home. They called me again and told me I am in communication with the driver. I had to confess.”
CP Abayomi, who described Philip as a trusted employee of the deceased, urged residents to be cautious when discussing sensitive financial information, especially around employees or individuals who might misuse such knowledge.
“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, having overheard that a large sum of money was soon to be deposited into her account”, he said.
The Police Chief in the state further disclosed that on July 25, 2024, Emmanuel and the driver carried out their horrific plan. After lurking around till the unsuspecting woman fell asleep, they brutally attacked her, stole her ATM card, and withdrew a total of Sixty Thousand Naira (₦60,000).
“The driver remains at large, and efforts to apprehend him are ongoing”, he said.
