Teenager stabs friend to death over refusal to let him steal plasma TV(Photo)

A 19-year-old man, Salaudeen Rilwan, is currently cooling his heels in the cell at the Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Iyaganku, Ibadan in Oyo State Police Command, after he was accused of killing one Kareem Alaba Suraju at Omi Adio area of Ibadan. Suraju’s offence was that he did not allow the suspect to steal his friend’s plasma television.

The suspect was reported to have gone to the residence of one Olayiwola Femi at Oke Oloro, Omi Adio area of Ibadan at about 12 noon on Friday, January 30, 2015. On getting there, he did not meet Femi but saw Suraju, who happened to be Femi’s friend as well as his landlord’s son.

Suraju was reported to have stayed back at home because he was not feeling well, and his closeness with his father’s tenant made him to be in his room after Femi had gone to work.


Crime Reports learnt that after Rilwan heard that Femi was not around, he started disconnecting the television and DVD player in his room. When Suraju established from Rilwan that Femi was not aware of his intention, he stopped the suspect from taking the household items away.

This was said to have infuriated Rilwan, and in order to ward off Suraju’s ‘interference’, he picked a bottle he found on the floor in the room, smashed it on the floor and stabbed the landlord’s son in the head.

Leaving the young man in a pool of his blood, Rilwan took the plasma TV and the DVD player, locked the door of the room with a padlock and left.


It was further gathered that when Suraju’s father returned from Jumat prayers on that day and met the room of his tenant and son’s friend padlocked, he assumed that his son must have gone to his work place, so he went to his own apartment.

It was Femi’s return at about 8p.m. that exposed the calamity that befell the deceased’s household, when he opened his door and met Suraju stone dead. After he raised the alarm and people rushed into his room to see the lifeless Suraju and also heard about the missing TV and DVD, it was assumed that armed robbers perpetrated the evil act.
But some people brought it to the notice of the family that Rilwan had earlier in the day approached them with a TV and DVD player that he said he wanted to sell.
Some people were said to have gone in search of the suspect and after he was found, he confessed to killing Suraju. But he could not produce the items he stole as he claimed that he went to throw them into the river at Omi Adio when he heard that Suraju had been discovered dead.

When detectives from DCI visited the river, they could not find the items though the river was not flowing because of dry season.

In an interview with Crime Reports, Rilwan said he did not know what came over him to make him kill his friend.


“That day, I went to the shop of my friend, Femi. I wanted to give him a shirt that he said he would want to wear on Sunday, February 1. When I got to his shop, I did not meet him so I went to his residence. I did not meet him at home but met his friend, Suraju, who happened to be my friend also.
“I enquired on Femi’s whereabouts and he told me he was not around. As I stepped and got to the door, I turned back and went into Femi’s room again. Suraju asked whether I had seen Femi and I replied in the negative. He took an excuse to visit the bathroom. While he was away, I stood in front of Femi’s plasma television and started disconnecting its cables.

“When Suraju returned to the room and saw me disconnecting the television, he queried me on why I was doing it. I told him I was taking it away. He demanded to know why I was taking it away, asking whether I had informed Femi.

“I replied him that I had not seen Femi but I would take the TV away. He said he would not allow me to take it away. As we were arguing over this, I sighted a bottle on the floor. I took the bottle, broke it and stabbed him on the head.

“He had not done anything for me prior to that time. Femi did not owe me any money. Initially when I came there, I had no intention of stealing the TV but something just came over me as I got to his door when I made my exit the first time. I didn’t intend to kill Suraju,” Rilwan narrated. The suspect claimed that he was not taking drugs. “I sell clothes at Omi Adio and live with my parents,” he claimed.

But a police source informed Crime Reports that the suspect’s father said that he left home in 2014 after he was reprimanded over an issue. Since then, the father was quoted to have said, Rilwan had been sleeping around in his friends’ places.