–— Deceased husband, daughter, one other, also stabbed

––He’s in our custody- Police

By Dayo Johnson

A 27-year old landlord’s son, Quozeem Awe, has allegedly stabbed a nursing mother, Deborah Adeleye, to death during a dispute over unpaid house rent, in Ore, Odigbo council area of Ondo State.

The suspect also, reportedly injured the deceased husband, Mathew Adeleye and their daughter during the attack.

Eyewitness account said that ugly incident reportedly occurred around 5:00 a.m, at Daystar Area, Ore-Alaba, Ore.

The incident threw the neighbourhood into panic as residents fled their homes.

The source said the violence was triggered by an argument over unpaid house rent between the landlord’s son and the deceased’s husband, who is one of the tenants in the building owned by the suspect’s father.

According to him ” the dispute, had been brewing for weeks, but escalated when the landlord’s son stormed the tenants’ apartment armed with a knife and cutlass.

The injured husband of the deceased, Adeleye, while narrating his ordeal from his hospital bed, said he and other tenants had earlier been issued a quit notice despite the fact that their rent was not yet due.

Adeleye said ” our rent was scheduled to expire on the 16th of March, and l had already begun making arrangements to secure a new apartment in compliance with the notice.

“I had informed friends to help us find another place, and we finally secured one. We were preparing to move out that same day the incident happened.

” There had been no physical confrontation between him and the landlord’s son prior to the attack.

“At about 5.00, Quozeem came knocking on our door. I sensed danger so l warned the only remaining tenant in the building not to open the entrance door, because i know that he landlord’s son was capable of violence.

“While I briefly stepped out to use the toilet, the other tenant allegedly opened the entrance door, allowing Quozeem to gain access.

“Moments later, he reportedly rushed into the room where my wife, Deborah, a nursing mother, was lying on the bed.

“Immediately he entered, he jumped on my wife. She screamed that she had been stabbed. She died on the spot.

“I rushed out of the toilet upon hearing the commotion and confronted him at the entrance. In the ensuing struggle, I attempted to wrestle the knife from him but slipped to the ground.

“He overpowered me and stabbed me multiple times in the back, hand and leg.

The attack extended to the couple’s first child, Tunrayo Adeleye, who sustained a stab wound to the wrist while trying to escape.

Residents who responded to the distress call rushed the victims to a nearby hospital.

Quozeem was said to have voluntarily surrendered himself at a nearby police station following the incident.

A police source confirmed that the corpse of the deceased had been deposited at a morgue in Ore, while investigation into the matter is ongoing

Reacting, the police spokesperson DSP Jimoh Abayomi confirmed the arrest of the suspected killer of the mother of four.

Abayomi, while explaining the incident said that “The suspect allegedly attacked three of his tenants, inflicting multiple stab wounds on them.

“The victims were rushed to the General Hospital Ore, where one of them, identified as Adeleye Motunrayo, was confirmed dead by medical personnel. The other two victims are currently receiving treatment.

“Police operatives promptly visited the scene, recovered a blood-stained cutlass suspected to have been used in the attack, and took the suspect into custody.

Abayomi, said that the suspect has been charged to court and remanded in correction centre.