Pathologists at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital on Thursday conducted autopsy on the remains of Ronke Shonde, 36, but declined to make the result public.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the alleged lover of the victim, Kayode, had been invited to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, to make statements to assist the police with investigations.
This is just as the landlady of the house, where the incident happened, expressed shock over Ronke’s death and the alleged involvement of her husband, Lekan, saying she had never seen them fight before.
PUNCH Metro had reported how Lekan, 51, allegedly beat his wife, Ronke, to death at their home in the Egbeda-Idimu area of the state last Thursday.
Lekan, a dock worker in the Apapa area, who spoke with our correspondent while in hiding, had however denied complicity in the death.
He accused Ronke of sleeping with Kayode, the general manager of a publishing company where she worked as the human resources manager.
After three days in hiding, the suspect gave himself up to the police in Lagos.
The landlady of the house, who did not want her name in print, told our correspondent on Thursday that she was surprised at the incident because Ronke and Lekan were nice and easy-going.
She said, “They are a nice couple. I have never had any reason to separate them in a fight. We don’t hear their voices whenever they are at home. I therefore cannot understand how this happened.”
A source told PUNCH Metro that the police had already invited Kayode, Ronke’s alleged lover, over the incident.
Kayode and Ronke worked in the same publishing firm belonging to the latter’s uncle.
Lekan had claimed that Kayode slept with his wife in a hotel in Abuja while they both went to recruit workers for the new office of the company.
The source said Kayode had promised to honour the police invitation by next week.
“He should be here next week to state his own side of the story and assist with investigation,” he added.
Our correspondent was told that the medical team at the LASUTH conducted the autopsy on the deceased on Thursday.
A source, who did not want to be named, said the result would be out on Tuesday.
She said, “The test was conducted today, but we have been told to wait for the result, which will be ready in five days’ time. The corpse of the victim cannot be released until then, so the family will have to suspend all burial plans for now.”
A source told PUNCH Metro that Lekan had been taking things easy in detention, adding that he gave policemen no reason to be hard on him.
The source said, “He has taken everything calmly, although he is sad that his wife is late. He had been eating well. He ate pounded yam two times on Wednesday.
“He has continued to maintain his innocence, saying he loved his wife so much that he could not do anything to hurt her.
“He said he had even bought her a jeep to celebrate her birthday and the vehicle was on the high sea when this happened.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, when contacted, said she would get back to our correspondent, but she had yet to do so as of press time.
PUNCH
