Maersk MD battle for life as armed men kill wife in Lagos

By Precious Igbonwelundu

…Police arrest two

Armed men suspected to be robbers on Sunday night killed the wife of Managing Director Maerskline Gildas Tohouo and critically injured the man at their Luggard Drive, Ikoyi residence.

The couple resides at the Cul De Sac Compound, the same as former Head of State Ernest Shonekan which is off Oba Adeyinka Oyekan.

It was gathered that the incident occurred around 9pm after their electrician/building maintenance man came to the apartment under the guise of fixing an electrical fault.

Unknown to the couple, the man had smuggled an accomplice into the building who he claimed was a guest at the party going on at an expatriate’s flat, the next neighbour.

Having successfully smuggled his accomplice in, they were alleged to have tampered with electricity into the Tohouo’s and then requested their permission to enter their apartment to resolve the power issue.

As soon as he was granted access, the suspect and his accomplice allegedly separated the man from his wife; forced the woman to transfer some money to their account, collected her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and there after stabbed her.

They allegedly forced her to drink acid before suffocating her with a willow in order to cover up their tracks.

Tohouo was said to have been forced to drink acid as well and also stabbed but was able to send a distress alert to Maersk security unit which the Chief Security Officer (CSO) intercepted and contacted Police Commissioner Hakeem Odumosu.

It was gathered that Odumosu led an operation to the couple’s resident, surrounded the area and commenced a search for the attackers alleged to be ransacking the house for valuables.

Another account indicated that it was an assassination attempt on the duo whose three children were left unhurt.

According to a source, they had earlier had a dispute over generator, fueling insinuations the attack on them was an inside job.

A situation report circulated among estate residents availed our Correspondent stated the suspects came in armed with two knives and locked the couple in separate rooms.

“Their electrician came with his friend and had accessed based on recognition. They locked both husband and wife in different rooms. Forced the wife to transfer some money to them and also collected her ATM card.

“Equally forced them to drink acid. Wife was suffocated with pillow afterwards. Husband had opportunity to call his CSO who alerted the police.

“A team led by the CP arrived the scene and surrounded the premises while the suspects were still there. They were both apprehended.”

When our correspondent visited the estate Monday, security men at the gate denied entry insisting there was no one at home.

They also turned down pleas to volunteer information as one of them locked the estate gate behind him as soon as a vehicle entered.

Food sellers and their customers were seen discussing the issue among them describing the suspect as a “very young man.”

Police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) confirmed the incident, adding that two suspects have been arrested.

Elkana identified those arrested as Olamide Goke and Ade Akanbi, adding that the case has been transferred to homicide unit, State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Panti.

He insisted that the suspects had gone to the house to steal from the family and that the knives they used in stabbing them were recovered.