by Anike Jacobs

A certain young man, Herny Sikiru whose marriage proposal was turned down by his girlfriend, Boluwatife Ajayi, the 31st of December, 2014, has been arrested for attempted murder.

He tried to kill her by cutting her throat for daring to refuse his marriage proposal.

But for her cries for help which drew the attention of passersby who rescued her, Boluwatife would probably have been dead.

The suspect allegedly lured his lover to an uncompleted building located at Alhaja Wosilat Street, Baruwa area of Lagos on New Year’s Eve, with the intention to carry out the evil deed but was caught in the act.

He was said to have pinned the struggling Ajayi down and started slitting her throat with a razor blade, when some nearby residents heard her faint cry and dashed into the building where she was rescued.

One Oluwole Olalekan who witnessed the sordid incident, said he was sitting in front of his house when he heard Ajayi’s strangled cry.

“The boy was using the sharp razor to cut the lady’s neck and also trying to strangle her, so that she would not cry out for help. It was a few minutes before 11pm and there was no light.

I was sitting in front of my house to receive fresh breeze before going to bed when I heard a voice that shouted ‘Egba mi o’ (Yoruba for ‘help me’).

I decided to trace the voice. On getting to the uncompleted shop, I switched on my torchlight, only to find the boy sitting on the lady’s chest, trying to strangle her.

I shouted ‘thief! thief!! thief!!!’

The man dashed off  but I ran after him, still screaming. Other neighbours joined me in chasing him. Luckily, we were able to nab him. We handed him over to the police. There were deep cuts on three different areas on the lady’s neck. We took her to the nearby hospital.”

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Ipaja Police Station where the suspect is, CSP Ajewole Adebayo, said that the suspect had been arrested alongside some boys residing in the same place and investigations were on to unravel the truth, promising that the case would soon be transferred to the higher authority before taking it to court.

On his part, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, said the victim was presently receiving treatment at a private hospital.