A cab-haling driver identified as Mathew Okafor was stabbed to death before his car was stolen by suspected carjackers in Abuja.
It was gathered that one of the armed men disguised as a passengers and requested the slain driver’s service last Monday.
A source close to the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told PUNCH that Okafor called his wife, who was recently delivered of a baby, at 6pm that day to inform her that he would be returning home soon.
That was the last time the wife and other family members heard from him as his phone kept ringing out when attempts were made to reach him.
According to the source, Okafor’s corpse was later found around Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory after he was stabbed many times to death by his assailants
“We don’t know when he died but he went missing last Monday. Around 6pm, he called his wife and said that he would soon be home. His wife kept calling his line till the following day. His mobile rang out many times but no one picked the calls. She communicated with family members and we searched for him but we were unable to get a clue on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we approached the cab-hailing firm who said his last movement was around the Airport Road axis. We went there and didn’t find anything. We went to the police station there to make a complaint. A police officer said he overheard some commercial motorcyclists talk about a corpse.
“We, alongside some police officers, went to check if it was Okafor. We found him in the pool of his own blood. He was stabbed on different parts of his body. We buried him on Wednesday,” he said.
The source added that, “On Wednesday, the wife told us that they called her with Okafor’s line. They said he drank himself to stupor and was being detained for owing. They told the wife to send some money so that he could be freed. It was not as if he was kidnapped. They did that to get more money alongside the car. The wife, who was recently delivered of a baby, has been inconsolable.’’
The spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Mariam Yusuf, who confirmed the incident said the command was investigating the matter.