Dotun Oso, the man who was allegedly stabbed to death by Tayo Philip, a Nollywood actor, was planning his wedding before his sudden demise, the deceased’s father has said.
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Joseph Oso, a former deputy director, office of head of service in Lagos, told Newsbreak in a chat at the family’s residence on Isolo road, Ijegun by Isheri Osun, Lagos, that his son was a responsible man and was a beacon of hope for him after his retirement.
“Dotun was a son I was looking up to, to relieve me. He was my first son and second of four children. He will be 30 by November this year. He moved out of the house two years ago. He was a very focused boy. Doesn’t look for trouble. If he is not at work or at home, he will be in church.
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“We were planning for his wedding already. That was the extent we had gone with him before all this. Though we had not fixed the date yet. Each time we discuss with the mother, he will say he wants to settle certain things quickly first,” he said.
Dotun was allegedly stabbed to death after a fight broke out in his residence on Sebili Kazeem Street, Agodo Egbe area of Lagos State, over electricity bills.
The deceased, according to one Banjo Abayomi who spoke to our correspondent, was not the target of the attack as he was not involved in the argument.
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He was pronounced dead by a doctor at OB Hospital, hostel bus stop, Cele Egbe.
Abayomi told Newsbreak that he had confronted Philip to pay a part of his outstanding electricity bill amounting to N21,000. The latter allegedly headbutted him after which a fight ensued.
The father-of-three said they had torn each other’s shorts during the scuffle.
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“I’m the only one he talks to in the compound. I call him T-fuse. He was not the only one I spoke to about outstanding bills. I spoke to every other tenant as usual. So others said ‘talk to Tayo too’. Then he said I was mad for knocking on his door.
“I thought he was joking. Then he held my knicker. I held his boxer short. Then he gave me a headbutt. Fight ensued. He reached for a big stone and targeted my head. God saved me because he is tall and I’m short, so I dodged it. Then he started shouting that he will kill someone today”, he said.
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He noted that all attempts to calm him down failed.
“I have a brother who is a soldier. I called and explained the situation to him and he came down with his friends. I called and informed the landlord too about what happened. They went with Dotun, myself and Tayo to Ikotun police divisional office and made him write an undertaken that he will not attack any of us. His brother, who has ran away now after the incident signed as a witness, and one other tenant.
“However, he was still threatening us in front of the IPO and station officer. He said the police officers know him very well. They were just like begging him.
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“Then the station officer started complaining that he almost put them into trouble sometime ago when he stabbed a pastor, who later died. He told him to calm down that he has called his mum in America,” he said.
He said they had thought the actor would be detained to calm him down but he was waiting for them at the gate of the house with a knife in his hand when they arrived.
“We were expecting that they will detain him. But before we got home, he was already waiting for us at the gate with a knife in his hand. That was how he started.
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“He started chasing all of us around the compound. I was the primary target, but again I dodged the knife when he came for me. I’m sure Dotun didn’t know he was coming for him too. He just stabbed him straight in the chest. This was about 6:30pm in the evening.”
Abayomi said a mob had descended on Philip and almost set him ablaze until the landlord’s brother intervened and took him to the police station.
He added that one Dapo, Philip’s brother, made away with Dotun’s jewelry as well as his brother’s money immediately the incident happened.
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Oso blasted the police, saying his son’s death could have been averted if they had handled the matter with care. He blamed the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Israel Ojo, and station officer, popularly called ‘Alhaji’, at the Ikotun police station for the circumstance that led to his son’s death.
He said his son, an engineering graduate of the Lagos State Polytechnic, who works with Access Bank, Lawanson branch, was wearing a black shirt which made it difficult for his neighbours to notice he had been stabbed.
He added that Ojo and Alhaji are familiar with Philip as he had allegedly stabbed a pastor to death sometime ago. He also said they had spoken about informing the actor’s mother in the United States.
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“I learnt that the IPO and SO are familiar with the suspect, and it was not the first time he would be attacking someone with a knife. Why have they not reported him or dealt with him before now, or if he is mad as they claim, why have they not report him to a psychiatric hospital,” he queried.
Oso alleged that the case would have been swept under the carpet but for the new Divisional Police Officer who demanded swift action from the officers.
“They didnt want the new DPO to hear about the case. It was somebody we knew who called the DPO for us. Immediately the DPO heard about it, he asked them why was he not informed about the case. He sent a signal to Panti the night the incident occurred.
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“The IPO asked us to pay N23,000 for a corona document that will enable them carry out an autopsy on my son. You are still asking a grieving family to cough out that amount?
“We told the DPO. He was very angry about it. He called and rebuked him again,” he stated.
Philip was arrested on the day of the murder, and the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba. But he was rejected, due to some injuries he sustained to his left arm.
Bala Elkana, the Police Public Relations Officer, told Newsbreak that the actor has now been arrested and will face the full wrath of the law.
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He said the suspect had to be treated by the police before he was detained at Panti. He rubbished suggestions by Oso that the police officers attempted to sweep the case under the carpet.
“I don’t know who is making those useless noise. They are unfounded noise. I don’t know what they want to achieve. They have forgotten that that man (suspect) was beaten to stupor. They battered the guy when this thing happened.
“And there is no way you can stand trial in that condition. We are very much aware of the case at the headquarters here. They should stop trying to blackmail some people at the division. The matter is fully reported to the headquarters by the DPO.
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“We are very much aware of the case. That man is receiving treatment. It is a normal procedure. Once you beat a suspect he can’t stand trial until he is fit for trial. That is our position and we always tell people to desist from taking law into their hands.
“Somebody commits an offence, don’t also try to commit an offence in your own court. There was a fight between the two of them and he stabbed somebody to death. They wanted to kill him and they injured him all over.
“They made it difficult to get him to court that Monday because we had to treat him first.”
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“Look at the stress police have to go through. You have to take him to the hospital and a policeman has to be with him. We are spending state resources again to treat him.
“If they want police to go into it, then we will start arresting people, which to me is not important.
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“The most important thing is the man who killed their relation has been arrested and he will be charged to court. He must stand trial and face the full weight of the law for what he has done,” he said.
