A 35-year-old man, Ejike Onyejekwe, has been killed in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, who lived on 21 Road, K Close, FESTAC, was stabbed to death after winning a lot of money from a lottery.

Our correspondent gathered that Onyejekwe, to celebrate the winning, bought drinks for his friends and threw a party last Thursday and Friday.

It was learnt that on Friday evening, he was heard arguing with an unidentified person on the phone.

He allegedly told his friend he was going to see the man, but never returned.

His corpse was allegedly discovered the next day on one of the estates.

A resident, who did not want to be identified, said the chairman of the estate called the attention of residents to the corpse on Saturday.

He said, “I was sipping tea around 7am when I heard the chairman blowing a whistle. I thought it was strange, but my wife called my attention to the surging crowd on the estate.

“I went downstairs and saw the corpse on the road. Like everybody, I was alarmed. We could not tell how the corpse got there or who he was. He had multiple stab injuries in the head. We all resolved that the case should be reported at the FESTAC Police Station.”

It was learnt that some of the victim’s friends later identified him.

The corpse was said to have been deposited in a morgue, while the police arrested and detained the chairman of the estate and his secretary; they were later released.

A source told PUNCH Metro that the victim won a lottery few days to his death.

He said, “The man won a lot of money in a lottery and from last Thursday to Friday, he was asking his friends to drink at his expense.

“He was called on the phone that Friday evening and he went to meet a man. I suspect that a gang stabbed him and used an object to hit him in the head. There were bruises on his knees and it appeared they dragged him on the floor as well.

“When the police were removing his corpse, blood was dripping from his mouth and nostrils. He was murdered in cold blood.”

A friend of the victim, who did not identify himself, said his relative had visited the community.

“I can’t say why he was killed. Nobody knows. He just returned from a visit to the village,” he added.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.

She added that the police had already arrested two suspects in connection with the death.

She said, “The chairman of one of the estates reported that at about 7am, he woke up and saw the victim lying lifeless with injuries on his head and body. The corpse was deposited at the Isolo General Hospital Mortuary for autopsy. Two suspects, Suleiman Ahmed and Ibrahim Yusuf, were arrested and the case transferred to the SCIID for further investigation.”

A suspected robber has been crushed to death by a truck at the Ojo Lowo bus stop in the Ijanikin area of Lagos State, while allegedly attacking some bus passengers.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect, whose name had yet to be ascertained, along with other hoodlums, had at about 10.30pm on Friday stood at the bus stop to waylay bus passengers.

Our correspondent gathered that while the robbery was on, a police patrol team from the Ijanikin division came to the area which made the robbers flee in different directions.

It was learnt that an oncoming truck crushed one of the hoodlums and he died on the spot.

Apart from the deceased, another hoodlum, identified as Bassey Eyo, was arrested by the police while other members of the gang fled the scene.

A police source told our correspondent that 22-year-old Eyo and his gang members were notorious in the area for traffic robbery.

He said, “It was a distress call from the affected motorists that alerted the police to the robbery operation. When the hoodlums sighted the police patrol, they fled, and one of them was knocked down by the truck. His corpse has been deposited in the Badagry General Hospital morgue for an autopsy.”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident.

“Effort is on to arrest other suspects and to recover their arms,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Zone 2 Police Command has also arrested a Niger Republic national, Yakubu Adamu, and another, Issa Musa, for allegedly burgling shops in the Lagos Island area and carting away women underwear said to be worth millions of naira.

Our correspondent learnt that 48-year-old Musa, a father of five from Borno State, and his accomplice, were caught in the act on Friday at about 4pm while burgling shops at the Idumota and Balogun markets.

It was gathered the the two suspects – who allegedly belonged to a seven-man gang – were arrested by the Zonal Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Onikan, Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that 10 bags of women underwear and an unregistered Toyota Corolla, which was said to be the gang’s operational vehicle, were recovered by police operatives.

The police said they also recovered two cutlasses, two chisels and one heavy cutter from the car.

The Zone 2 Police spokesperson, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the suspects would be charged to court at the end of investigation.

He said, “The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the zone, Abdulmajid Ali, has directed the Officer-In-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to arrest other fleeing members of the gang and their receivers.

“The police are going to investigate and charge them to court. The arrest of the gang members was in response to a tip-off on the regular burglary of shops in the market.”