Lekan Shonde To Be tried For Murder…Alleged Lover Begs Media

The Lagos State Police Command says alleged wife killer, Lekan Shonde, will be tried for murder.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, told PUNCH Metro on Thursday that the suspect would be arraigned in court today (Friday) for allegedly killing his wife, Ronke.

This is just as our correspondent learnt that the remains of the late Ronke would soon be buried.

It was gathered that the corpse had been released to her family by the police after the conclusion of autopsy on Wednesday.

It was learnt that the family members had fixed Friday (today) for the burial, but could change their mind.However, a member of the family said they were not excited about Lekan’s arraignment.

The source, who did not want to be identified because the family did not want any further report on the matter, said the victim’s mother had insisted that she had forgiven 51-year-old Lekan.

The late Ronke

PUNCH Metro had reported that Lekan, who worked in a port in the Apapa area,  had allegedly beaten his wife Ronke to death.

Lekan was said to have fled the house, and in a telephone interview with our correspondent while in hiding, he had denied killing his wife of eight years.

He said the victim was the one who cheated on him with the general manager of her company, Kayode Oluokun.

However on Wednesday, pathologists at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital released a report which stated that Ronke died from respiratory seizure.

She was also said to have had water in her brain and some bruises on the head.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the family had decided to bury Ronke anytime from Friday.

A source said, “The family has decided to bury her quietly and it appears to be a family arrangement together with some family friends.”

A member of the family expressed sadness over the handling of the matter.

He said, “If you knew Ronke before she died, you would know she didn’t deserve to die like this. She was a vibrant and energetic woman. She and her late brother, Jide, were the most outspoken in the family and if this had happened to any other person while they lived, this matter would have gone farther than this.”

 Meanwhile, Mr. Kayode Oluokun, the alleged lover of late Mrs. Ronke Shonde, says he does not want to talk about his relationship with the deceased.

Oluokun, who spoke with PUNCH Metro begged for respite, saying he would address the media when he deemed it fit.

The management of Learn Africa, the publishing firm where Ronke and Oluokun worked, had also released a statement saying the duo left the company in March.

While it said it could not confirm or deny that there was anything between them, it said Oluokun left the firm on March 8 and Ronke resigned two days later.

It was learnt that after the duo quit Learn Africa, they joined Ronke’s uncle’s publishing firm.

Efforts to reach the alleged lover to hear his side of the story had been abortive, except on an occasion when a third party told PUNCH Metro that he denied the allegation of dating the victim.

Also, when PUNCH Metro first got Oluokun on the telephone, he cut the call while our correspondent enquired on what transpired between them.

After switching off his phone and being unreachable for days, and sometime not picking the calls when the phone was on, the general manager spoke on Wednesday.

He said, “Mr. Samson, please can you respect this: I don’t want to talk to the press now. Respect that. I will talk to you when I want to talk to you. Please.”

SOURCE: PUNCH