Assassins Kill Pregnant Woman, Husband, Three Children

Assassins yesterday wiped out a family of five – a man, his six-month pregnant wife and three children – at Adegbose Estate Phase 2, Igbogbo area of Ikorodu, Lagos. The victims were identified as Mr. Kennedy Uzor, his wife, Mary, Uche (13 year-old daughter), Destiny (seven) and Mimi (three-year-old daughter). It was learnt that the assailants scaled the fence of the victims’ house, forced their way into their room and killed them in their sleep. Although those who evacuated the bodies said there were gunshot wounds on the bodies, sources in the community said they were stabbed to death. A neighbour, who did not want her name in print, said the death of the family came as a surprise.
She said: 

“I saw them before going to work on Wednesday evening. I was still in the office when I received the sad news about the death of the family members. What could have killed them is what I don’t understand. “Immediately I got the message about the incident, I rushed down home only to see them in the pool of their blood with stabbed wounds. 

The man was not that rich; I can’t still understand why such a man with his family members could be killed in cold blood.” Another resident, who identified himself simply as Wale, said he was going to his office when he saw a crowd at the victim’s house. He said: “I don’t know what they could have done to deserve such death; they were not a wealthy family, I always see the wife frying beans cake whenever I am going to work in the morning. What surprised me most was the youngest among them. The girl was strangled while the father, mother and the two other children were stabbed in various parts of their bodies.”

Wale said policemen from Ipakodo Division later evacuated the remains of the victims to Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary. He added: “Some of the neighbours of the victims who were at home when the incident happened have been arrested by the police for questioning.

They were said to have claimed that they did not hear the screams of the victims when the assailants were attacking them, despite their room being closed to each other.” A top police officer told our correspondent that Uzor was the chairman of cab operators at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. According to him, the election of the union is coming up in the next couple of weeks.

The officer said the late Uzor was also campaigning to be re-elected. He said: 

“We are going to beam our searchlight in that direction too.” However, when contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dolapo Badmos, said the wife and two daughters survived the attack. She said: “There was a report that one Celestine Nwokoye (m) attached to Taxi Park, Lagos Airport and all members of his family were found in a pool of their own blood. “The said Mr Celestine and two male children, ages about three years and eight months old respectively, have been confirmed dead while the mother and two daughters who were also seriously injured have been taken to the hospital for treatment.”

The PPRO said the incident occurred on the premises of a church. She added: 

“The command is working assiduously to unravel the occurrence. We have some leads we are working on; we are optimistic of breaking through.”