Sokoto police arrest bricklayer for murdering wife and three church members with pestle

DETECTIVES from the Sokoto State Police Command have arrested Taiwo Adio for clubbing his wife and three other persons to death with a pestle in what appears to be a case of as loss of sanity.

 

Mr Adio, 43, a bricklayer, murdered the four people at his home in the Old Airport area of the Sokoto metropolis after returning home inexplicably for two days.  According to the police, the three other people he killed include Rachael Adewole, 42, Benice Adewole, 10 and Esther Badelu, 14.

 

Until her deathm Rachael was the wife of Pastor Jacob Adewole, of Faith Baptist Church Old Airport Road, Sokoto, while Benice was their only daughter and Esther was Benice’s friend. Police spokesman El-Mustapha Sani, who also confirmed the incident, said the suspect had been arrested and the exhibit, a pestle, recovered.

 

According to Mr Sani, the case was under investigation at the state Criminal Investigation Department. He added that the corpses of the victims had been deposited at the Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, for post mortem.

 

One church member, Oyeleke Samson, said: “The suspect mysteriously disappeared from home for two days and on his sudden return, he started behaving in a strange manner, talking incoherently. When the news of his return got to the church, the elated pastor’s wife, the late Rachael, prepared food and told her daughter Benice, to take the food to Taiwo Adio’s house and there, Esther Badelu decided to accompany her friend.

 

“Before they arrived at the place, Adio, a bricklayer had clubbed the wife, Yemisi, an auxiliary nurse, to death and when the two girls entered the house, he killed them with the pestle in his hand. When the two girls did not return home after a while, Late Rachael decided to trace the girls to the suspect’s house, not knowing that death was lurking but when she opened the door, the suspect raised the pestle, as she turned to take to her heels, the suspect hit her on the back, she fell and she was clubbed to death."

 

He added that when he visited the screen, it was the screech from his motorcycle that scared Mr Adio as he attempted to attack him. According to Mr Samson, he left bewildered asking why Mr Adio would want to kill his wife and three other church members.