Four employees of the ZEFA Microfinance Bank in Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria, have been detained after one of them killed Vivian Omo, a debtor’s wife when he pushed her.
According to reports, the suspects, whose bank is located in the Abule Ijoko Lemode neighbourhood of the Ifo local government area of Ogun state, went to the debtor’s home and began packing up their possessions.
In a statement released on Sunday, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the state’s police public relations officer, acknowledged the event.
The four suspects were detained, according to Oyeyemi, by officers from the state police command.
The PPRO said the suspects; Badmus Olalekan, Ajibade Oludare, Eniola Aduragbemi and Femi Oloko were arrested on Wednesday.
Oyeyemi said, “Trouble started when the bank staffers visited the home of the deceased to ask for the payment of a loan taken from the bank by the deceased’s husband but they were told that the man was not at home.
“Not satisfied with the woman’s explanation about the whereabouts of her husband, the bank staff decided to pack all the electronics in the house to their office a step that was resisted by the deceased.
“While the deceased was struggling with the Bank’s staff, one of them pushed her and she fell down and was unconscious.
“She was there and then rushed to hospital for medical attention, but was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.
“The report was quickly lodged at Agbado divisional headquarters by the daughter of the deceased, consequence upon which the DPO Agbado division, CSP Awoniyi Adekunle, quickly led his detectives to the scene where four staff of the bank namely; Badmus Olalekan, Ajibade Oludare, Eniola Aduragbemi and Femi Oloko were arrested.
“The corpse has been deposited at Ifo General Hospital morgue for autopsy.”
The PPRO however, said the Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Oladimeji, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the Homicide section of the state Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation.
He said, “The CP also warned loan agencies to stop taking laws into their hands in the process of recovering loans from their debtors, as anyone caught in such act will be arrested and prosecuted.”