Conductor kills man a week before his travel date to the US over N50

Babatunde Omoyeni, a web designer who planned to travel on the 10th of December to spend his Christmas and New Year holidays  in the United States of America, has been killed in Lagos over N50.

After obtaining all travel documents, he boarded a bus on Saturday and gave the conductor N500, but the conductor told him he didn’t have N450 change, because the fare was N50. When they got to the bus stop, Omoyeni  demanded his change and a fight ensued.

An Alfa in the bus intervened and the fight ended. But the conductor, who was still upset by the incident followed the victim to his house unbeknownst to the victim.

It was learnt that the conductor identified as Eletu, armed with a broken bottle, banged on the gate of the victim's house.

A source said:

“As the deceased opened the gate, Eletu stabbed him. Babatunde took to his heels, but the conductor chased him. Unfortunately, he fell down and the conductor stabbed him repeatedly,” he added.

The victim's younger sister, Blessing Omoyeni, said his brother would not have died if he was rescued on time.

She said he spent over one hour in a pool of his own blood before he was rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba.

She said:

“Nobody was ready to assist him to the hospital. A man had to throw himself in front of a commercial bus and asked the passengers to disembark, before he could get help. “He was rushed to LUTH, but they were turned back at the gate by a doctor who pronounced him dead on arrival around 12am.

“People started beating the conductor and almost killed him before he was rescued and taken to the Aguda Police Division.”

It was learnt that the victim’s corpse was deposited at the Isolo General Hospital mortuary.

 

His girlfriend, Temiloluwa Ogundayo, said Babatunde was preparing for their engagement and recounted the bizarre encounter she had with him after his death.

She said: “We have dated for over one year and he told me to meet my sister to ask for the requirement for our engagement. He said we would go there on Monday.

“On that Saturday he called me around 5pm to prepare food for him that he would soon be home. I had done everything and was waiting for him in the house till 11pm when I drifted off into sleep.

“Around 1am, he came in and slept beside me. He rubbed my head with his hand and I asked him if he had eaten his food, but he said I should not bother, that he was fine.

“I went back to sleep and it was around 6am that somebody called me and asked if I knew he was dead. I jumped up and looked around the bathroom and kitchen to know if he was there, but I couldn’t find him.”

 

The conductor said the victim attacked him first.

He said:

“I am also a driver and I had parked my bus at about 7pm when I saw a co-driver who offered to take me home. “It was along the way that he decided to pick passengers and there were eight of them in the bus.

“I collected money from seven of them, but he refused to pay and said he knew me on the street.

“It was at the bus stop that he broke a bottle and stabbed me in the forehead and cheek. I also got the same bottle, but unfortunately I stabbed him in the neck and he died.”

The case is still ongoing.


Punch