Cleric Allegedly Kills Customer, Dumps Corpse

Photos Credit: Olaleye Aluko

The police in Lagos have arrested a Muslim cleric, Mr. Isiaka Akanbi, popularly called Alfa (pictured left), for allegedly killing a 62-year-old woman, Raliatu Kareem (pictured right) after stealing her wallet and other personal effects. Punch reported that, the Cleric ‎owns a traditional healing centre on Lawani Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos‎ and the late woman, Raliatu was his close customer for years. Continue...

It was gathered that on Saturday, 25 October, Raliatu, who lived on Ope-Ewe Street, Agbado Ijaiye, Lagos, went to visit an elder sister, whose daughter put to bed in the Olodi Apapa area. She was said to have left Ijaiye after the monthly environmental exercise was over, informing her 20-year-old son, Abdullahi, of the visit to her sister.

Two days after, Raliatu did not return home as she promised and her family became apprehensive, trailing her to Olodi Apapa. After not finding her at her initial destination, some family members, who knew she was a friend of the cleric, decided to check the Alfa’s place. On getting there, the Alfa allegedly denied seeing her. The family became suspicious when Alfa reportedly started packing his property, and preparing to leave the house some hours later. They raised an alarm and headed for the Tolu Police Station to report the incident and the Alfa was arrested.

During interrogation, Alfa told the police that he did not kill the woman, but that she died in his place. According to him;

“On the evening of October 26, it is true that she visited me. We have been very good friends too. On that day, she just collapsed and became unconscious. I quickly rushed her to a nearby hospital, but I was shocked when the nurses told me she had died. I got a NAPEP tricycle and took her corpse to the Marine Bridge that same night and abandoned it there. I did not want people to trace her corpse to me. When I got home, I buried her wallet, handset, bangle and ring behind my house. I did not kill her. I am an Alfa, I do favour charms for traders. I met Raliatu in 1986. Since then, we have been family friends. She used to come to my place for consultation and I had been to her house too.”

One of the deceased's children, Abdullahi, said;

“I have seen the man in our house a number of times. But he said she died in his house and he now took her corpse to Marina Bridge and abandoned it. We want him to produce that corpse so that we can bury her appropriately.”

After contacting all relevant agencies in the state, the family said the corpse had yet to be found.