Arowolo: I tried to stop her, but she slapped me, husband tells court

Ikeja – 31-year-old man, Akolade Arowolo, on Wednesday denied killing his wife, Titilayo, claiming that he did everything to save her.

Arowolo was testifying before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of Ikeja High Court.
He is charged with allegedly stabbing Titilayo, a banker, to death on June 24, 2011 at their residence at 8, Akindeinde St., Isolo, Lagos.

The accused, who was led in evidence by his counsel, Mr Olarenwaju Ajanaku, said the thought of killing his wife never crossed his mind.
“I did not kill my wife. I have never thought of it. I am not that kind of person. I loved my wife and my daughter,” a tearful Arowolo told the court.
Narrating how his wife died, Arowolo said that since the day was his birthday, they had decided to stay indoors and watch movies.
He said they planned to go and pick their daughter later from his father-in-law’s place at Gbagada.
The accused said Titilayo started acting strangely and insisted on leaving the house after she received a phone call from her step-mother, Mrs Adetoun Oyakhire.
“I tried to stop her because we had made a vow that morning that she will not be running to her parents house every time.
“Then, she slapped me. I went to report her to my neighbour’s mother-in-law, Mama Hannah Alaka, who called her and counselled her,” he said.
Arowolo said following the intervention, Titilayo decided to stay and went into the kitchen to prepare the chicken he had bought for the birthday celebration.
“I went to pour fuel in the generator and my wife’s sister, Folake, called me and said she wanted to speak with her.
“When I got to the kitchen, she was not there. So, I went towards the bedroom and the next thing I felt was a very sharp object on my left arm.
“I saw blood gushing out. It was the knife she was using in the kitchen to cut meat.”
The accused said he started screaming but Titilayo kept attacking him and injured him again on his left chest and navel.
“She started screaming that she was going to kill me and kill herself. I was begging her to take it easy and drop the knife but she refused.
“That was when we started struggling for the knife and she fell on the bed,” Arowolo said.
The accused said he sustained several lacerations on his body during the struggle and he discovered that his wife also needed help.
He said unfortunately, he discovered that his wife had locked the door with a key and trapped them inside the apartment.
“She was telling me that she was sorry and I told her to be calm that I would get help for her.
“I tried breaking the door with a hammer but I could not. So I started shouting for help but nobody responded.
“Unfortunately, my mechanic has gone out with my car to repair the shaft and the spare key was in the bunch of keys,” Arowolo said.
He said he had to jump from the balcony of their four-storey apartment to get help for her.
Arowolo said when he jumped down, he saw that his mechanic had brought the car and that he quickly drove to Aswani Police Station to report the matter.
The accused said that he met some policemen close to the station and that as he was talking to them, a vehicle hit him and he passed out.
He said a good Samaritan took him away on a motorcycle and that the next morning, he regained consciousness at a dump site of a public secondary school.
“I approached some persons nearby but because I was badly injured, they ran away. A middle-aged man came to my assistance.
“He took me to a phone centre. I first called my wife’s number, it was switched off. I called mine, it was also switched off.
Then, I called my father-in-law, his phone was ringing but he did not pick, then I called my mother.”
The accused said it was then he realised what had happened and he went to a family friend’s place near Ejigbo Police Station.
Arowolo said he went to Ejigbo Police Station in company of his brother, Tunde, and his friend, Jide Olowogunle, to report the matter.
He said from there he was taken to Aswani Police Station, and later, the matter was transferred to State CID, Panti, Yaba.
The accused said he was later taken for treatment at the Military Hospital, Onikan, Lagos, before the matter was charged to court.
The case  was adjourned till Sept. 17 for adoption of final written addresses. (NAN)



Source: Vanguard