A 20-year-old man, one Cephas Appaf, has been arrested by the police in Edo State for allegedly hacking a motorcyclist to death in the Ovia South-West Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that Appaf, a rubber tapper who hails from Benue State, had asked the victim, identified as Aniete Okon, to give him a ride to Benin, the state capital on November 3, 2016.
It was gathered that the suspect had told his unsuspecting victim to make a stopover on the way, where he picked up a cutlass and dealt him severe blows in the neck, before fleeing on the motorcycle.
However, he was said to have run out of luck when he put up the motorcycle for sale. One of his potential buyers was said to have suspected his claim of ownership of the property.
He was later said to have been arrested by some security operatives attached to an agro-allied firm and handed over to the police in the area.
But Appaf, who spoke to PUNCH Metro when he was paraded along with other suspected criminals by the Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu, on Tuesday, denied any intention to kill the man and blamed his action on poverty.
He said, “He (victim) took me on his motorcycle, and on our way from Benin, I saw a cutlass at a rubber plantation. Then I told him to stop, take the cutlass and cut him in the neck.
“I did not plan to kill him; it was because of poverty. I took the motorcycle to another community to sell. But I could not sell it; it was identified as a stolen motorcycle.
“The residents of the community said the motorcycle was stolen and that they would follow me to where I reside to verify the ownership of the motorcycle.
“As we were going, some security men stopped us and the residents explained to the security men that they suspected the motorcycle I was riding did not belong to me. So, I was taken to a police station. I regret what I have done.”
The police commissioner said the case was still under investigation.
Gwandu also noted that the matter would be charged to court.
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