It was a sad way for any family to celebrate Christmas; infact nobody would wish what happened to the family of Ms Rose Aifuwa, an Edo born Nigerian based in Austria, to happen to his enemy. It was a love story turned awry between Festus Aimufua, aka two million, a spare parts dealer in Benin-City, and Rose. Sunday Vanguard learnt that Rose and Festus became business partners about three years ago.
She was sending spare parts and used cars, popularly known as Tokunbo from Austria to Nigeria and Festus became her links man here in Nigeria. It was learnt that the duo enjoyed the business relationship until January 2014, when they fell in love and started dating. Their relationship was rosy until last December when Rose arrived Nigeria demanding the money owed to her by her lover.
The money was said to be in excess of ₦20 million. It was gathered that goods including cars and spare parts imported into the country under the custody of Festus were sold but the proceeds not remitted to Rose. Rose allegedly arrived Nigeria insisting that Festus should pay her the money but Festus allegedly became evasive. On the eve of Christmas, Rose was said to have invited Festus to her residence at Upper Mission Road, Benin-City. Festus, married with two kids, slept at the residence of his lover and when he was about leaving in the morning of 25 December, Rose demanded for her money after she expressed displeasure with the way and manner Festus is running her chains of businesses here in Nigeria.
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| The suspect, Festus Aimufua |
Sunday Vanguard was informed that when they started dating, Rose handed her business empire to Festus to run for her. Initially, Festus used to purchase spare parts from her and pay immediately, but when they started dating he continued to purchase goods from her money. The proceeds were put around ₦20 million. After a heated argument Festus was said to have rushed to her car that morning and Rose followed suit insisting that her money should be paid. Festus was said to have raced off in his Honda car but in the process hit his lover who was pursuing him.
When crack team of detectives from the Police Command took the suspect to the scene of the crime, it was discovered that after hitting her he dragged the body of the decease under the car for another 500 meters before dumping the mangled body at the end of Upper Mission Extension. People who identified the body where it was dumped ran to the family of the lady to inform them.
The family immediately went in search of Festus. Sunday Vanguard learnt that when they saw Festus he was tricked to believe that her lover was still alive but in hospital, so he was advised to report himself to the police. The obviously confused man went to Oregbeni Police Station where he reported the case of accident instead of murder, apparently believing that his lover was still alive. He was arrested. The police consequently visited the scene where the body was dumped and found that the man had committed alleged murder.
The incident is creating tension now between the Austrian government and the Nigeria Police. The deceased was said to have travelled to Nigeria with her Austrian passport and, following her death, the Austrian Embassy last Wednesday contacted the police in Edo State over her death. The Edo State Police Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo, who detailed detectives to unravel the mystery behind the death, confirmed to Sunday Vanguard that the Austrian Embassy contacted them.
While the siblings of the deceased may not know much about Rose’s relationship with Festus, their octogenarian mother, Madam Victoria Aifuwa, claimed to have the details of the relationship. Sunday Vanguard met her in their family house at Aduwawa area of Benin-City and she was a complete wreck. She wept uncontrollably, raining curses on Festus for allegedly cutting the life of the family’s bread winner short. ‘Iye’, as aged women are called in Benin, narrated what transpired some 24 hours before the death of her daughter.
She said: “I was with my daughter at her residence at Upper Mission on 24 December, 2014. When it was 7pm I told my daughter that I wanted to start going home because I wasn’t feeling well, so she started laughing, calling me old woman. She asked me to come back the next day which was Christmas day. Festus, my daughter’s boyfriend, was with my daughter with some of his friends having drinks when I left them only for me to hear knock on my gate the next day that my daughter’s dead body was lying at a junction.
"Later, the people that came were trying to hide the matter from me by saying it was minor injury that she sustained. Some people said she was shot at the back while others said her intestine came out. The killer of my daughter said they both slept together and that when he wanted to leave my daughter held him insisting he must pay her the money he owed over some business transaction. It was at that point he knocked her down with his vehicle and dragged her on the ground which led to her death.
"My world has crumbled, I don’t know what to do, I am in hell without my daughter, she is all I had. Each time my daughter brought goods from abroad, I usually called Festus and after selling won’t remit money. I never knew the same man will eventually kill my daughter and leave me in deep pain”. She wept. She went further: “My daughter even rented an apartment for him (the suspect), spending over ₦250,000 in the process because they were going out. My daughter said he wanted to uplift his social status and went as far as buying him a car because her friends usually mocked her for going out with some one that was not up to her standard. Beside, she had started building a house for him at Aduwawa.
"Festus controlled most of her business dealings in Nigeria. Recently, she complained to me that the bulk of her money unremitted was in the custody of Festus; so I advised her not to give him any other goods. My daughter trusted him and that was why she opened her heart to him by ensuring that he was in charge of her business. My daughter was the one that had been sustaining the family, now she is dead. My world has crumbled. I am begging the police and Governor Adams Oshiomhole to come and help me. They should ask Festus why he killed my daughter despite all my daughter did for him in life. I have never seen this kind of wickedness in my life. Instead of killing her he should have gone with the money. I am finished”.
Spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, DSP Joseph Edoigiawerie, who confirmed the incident, said: “A case of murder was reported by one Elvis Omokhojie, that his sister, named Rose Aifuwa, was found lying dead on Upper Mission Extension junction, Aduwawa, Benin-City, and the cause of death unknown. We have been to the scene of incident and taken the corpse to the mortuary. Our investigation led to the arrest of the man friend or lover because, according to the report, he (the suspect) was last seen with her”.
Credit: Vanguard
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