Olaide Bournes
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Parents of Olaide Bournes, who was allegedly killed by her lover, are in agony and they want justice to take its course, writes GBENGA ADENIJI
Tears welled up the eyes of Mrs. Bournes
as she welcomed our correspondent to her Aguda, Ogba residence. There
were a few sympathisers outside the house, who came to comfort the
Bournes family.
A few days earlier, Bournes had lost her
daughter, Olaide, a part-time business administration student of the
Lagos State Polytechnic, who was allegedly killed by her lover, Abuchi
Cyril.
Initially, Mrs. Bournes was too
heavy-hearted to talk about her loss, especially as the continued
arrival of sympathisers reinforced the reality of her 22-year-old
daughter’s demise.
Although there was nothing to suggest
that she was walking to her death on the day she died, Olaide was
reluctant to leave home, repeating the same house chore several times
and taking a long time to dress up. She had planned to see her alleged
killer, Abuchi, in his house and later head for a branch of an old
generation bank to open an account in which her first salary would be
paid.
She worked as a contract staff with a
popular confectionery firm in Ikeja, Lagos State and she was expected to
resume by 3pm on that fateful day.
Mrs. Bournes described her late daughter
as a very quiet and peace-loving person whose death has created a big
vacuum in the family.
She said, “She was always eager to
assist others. Olaide hated argument or anything that will lead to a
fight and she was never happy seeing people exchanging words. The day
she died, we were together talking outside the house because I was
waiting for the sanitation exercise to end so that I could display my
wares. I am a trader and we observe sanitation every Thursday. Later,
she went inside to get dressed and her phone rang. I had her phone with
me so I rushed inside to give it to her. She told me it was Abuchi who
was calling and that she wanted to see him before going to work. She
said Abuchi was leaving for Malaysia during the week and had asked her
to come so that they could celebrate before his departure.”
She added that before the deceased left
home that day, she told her she would go to the bank to open an account
where her first salary would be paid.
“She started working with the
confectionary company on January 28 and was yet to get her first salary.
They were told to provide their account details and many of her
colleagues who had done so had been paid. She filled the form a day
before the incident,” Bournes stated amidst tears.
But expectation of joy turned sorrow
when, a few hours after her daughter left home, Mrs. Bournes noted
changes in the way people were relating with her. She later learnt that
Olaide was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died after she was
allegedly beaten by Abuchi.
It was not the first time Olaide’s
boyfriend had abused her. Mrs. Bournes confirmed that there were times
when her daughter would return home sullen after visiting Abuchi. She
recalled that she met Abuchi for the first time at a hospital where her
daughter had gone to receive treatment for malaria.
“I asked my daughter who he was and she
told me he was her friend. I remember that he sat looking as I
questioned my daughter about his identity. Olaide used to tell me that
the guy was fond of beating her and I warned her to be careful and
desist from seeing him. But she would reply that they had settled
whatever the problem was.”
Our correspondent gathered that the
deceased and Abuchi had been dating for over three years before the
final fatal meeting. It was also learnt that Abuchi, who lives close to
the deceased’s house with his parents, often accused the late Olaide of
cheating on him.
Abuchi, said to be popular in the area,
was alleged to have beaten Olaide during an argument after which she hit
her head against the ground in the suspect’s room and became
unconscious. The suspect later went to the Area G Police Command to hand
himself over to the police. He was subsequently detained.
The deceased’s father, Akindele Bournes,
who was visibly distressed as he spoke to our correspondent, said he
was shocked to learn that Abuchi attends the same church with him.
He stated, “I never knew that the
suspect attends the same church with my family. At the close of service
every Sunday, he would call my late daughter to tell her that he sat
beside me in the church. I know that my daughter has been killed but the
manner of her death was painful. I cannot believe that I have lost my
girl. She was a source of joy to me. I want justice to be done. When I
was at the Area G Police Command and the suspect was brought out for me
to see. I was shocked when he said he knew me in the church.”
Olaide’s elder sister, Olabisi, said she
would miss everything about her late younger sister. “I miss everything
about my sister. Is it her smiles, jokes, beauty, gentle nature or
caring attitude that I will forget? We did everything together being the
only two around since our other sibling is not in Nigeria. She would
joke about my choice of clothes and tell me what to put on and what not
to. I would then tease her by saying ‘big girl.’ Her hearty smile to my
taunt often made me laugh happily. I cannot believe she was gone
forever,’’ she state.
The late Olaide’s friends in school, who
paid the family a visit, were unable to hold back their tears.
President of the institution’s students’ union, Mr. Udechukwu
Ifeanyichukwu, said his first encounter with the late Olaide was in 2012
when she mistakenly stepped on him on the campus.
He said, “I told her she stepped on me
and her response was so awesome. I didn’t forget the episode because I
was moved by her apologies which was warm and courteous.
“Since then, I took notice of her and
got to know that she was a very nice person. She was quiet and friendly.
It is so painful that such a lady so full of hopes and promises could
die so cruelly,” said Ifeanyichukwu.
When contacted on the telephone, the
Deputy Police Public Relations Officers, Lagos State Police Command,
Damascus Ozoani, said the case had been transferred to the State
Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos.
He said, ‘‘The suspect has been moved to the State CID where further investigation is currently ongoing on the case.