The family of late Ronke Shonde (nee Bewaji) has reacted to the allegations levelled against her by her husband, Lekan.
The first and only surviving child of the family, Bolatito Bewaji, told PUNCH Metro on Tuesday that Lekan allegedly killed her sister due to jealousy and insecurity.
She said the problem started when Ronke discovered that her husband had a child outside wedlock,
which affected their marriage.
Bolatito said her sister had endured a long period of domestic abuse, adding that sometime in December 2015, she almost packed out of his house.
Lekan, a dockworker in the Apapa area of Lagos State, allegedly killed Ronke, his wife of eight years, at their home in the Idimu-Egbeda area last Thursday. The matter was reported at the Idimu Police Division.
Lekan, who spoke to Punch while in hiding, had claimed that his late wife was unfaithful to him, adding that he caught her discussing her sexual escapades with a lover on the telephone.
On Monday, the 51-year-old Abeokuta, Ogun State indigene, submitted himself to the police.
Bolatito, who spoke at the family house on Ogunsiji Close, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, however, said her sister would not have died if she had listened when she (Bolatito) and their mother begged her to leave the house after a series of abuse.
She said:
“The first case of abuse which I can remember happened sometime in 2012. The most recent was in December 2015, when we were still mourning the death of my brother. My mother was in the house with them when he started to verbally assault her. It was getting heated and my mum had to immediately leave the house. My mum called me and I went to a police station closest to the house. The policemen there said I could not report the case since I was not the victim.”
She said she went to her sister’s house, but her husband refused to let her go, which created a scene on their street.
“My mother said I must make sure she packed her belongings. I started begging her to follow me, and she stood up and went ahead of me. But as I stepped out, I discovered that she had gone back. When I returned to their house, I found her in bed.
“I called her and said, ‘my sister, do you want to die? We don’t want to lose you. We just lost our second born. I know you are a loving person and you care about your family, but you have to quit this marriage.’ At this point, she (Ronke) started crying,” Bolatito added.
It was learnt that a pastor on the street and the landlady of the house came out to intervene and beg on behalf of Lekan, who was also pleading and saying it was the devil’s handiwork.
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