THE METROPOLITAN Police have arrested and charged two suspects to court in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 26-year-old Nigerian, Ayowale Aladejana, in New Cross, southeast London.
The Metropolitan Police revealed on Monday, August 4, in a report that detectives investigating the stabbing had charged a man and a woman with murder.
A 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after the incident, with a 23-year-old woman taken into custody later on Sunday.
“Ben Wazabanga, 23 (24.10.2001) of Fairfax Road, Bedford, was charged with murder and possession of a knife on Monday, 4 August. He was remanded in custody and will appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 4 August.
“Ronique Belfon, 23 (10.05.2002) of Morinsbury Road, Bedford, was charged with murder on Monday, 4 August. She was remanded to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 4 August,” the report read.
Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card, who is leading the investigation, said, “Our thoughts are with Ayowale’s family and friends at this difficult time.
“I understand this incident will be concerning, and we are carrying out a fast-paced and thorough investigation to establish the circumstances,” Card added.
He explained that the investigation was launched after officers responded to reports of a man with stab wounds at a residential address on Monson Road, New Cross, at 7:26 p.m. on Saturday, August 2.
Officers responded to the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service and medics from London’s Air Ambulance, but despite their efforts, Ayowale was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Card, a post-mortem examination carried out on Sunday indicated a preliminary cause of death as a stab wound to the chest.
Aladejana joins a number of Nigerians that have been murdered in the diaspora.
The ICIR reported in May that a nurse residing in Leeds, United Kingdom, Nnena Miriam, was found dead in her apartment.
The news was confirmed in a statement released by Fellow Nurses Africa, an organisation committed to promoting the nursing profession in Africa.
It revealed that police discovered Miriam’s body following a missing person report.
A week later, Nigeria recorded another tragic death of one of its citizens abroad, as 23-year-old student nurse, Elizabeth Tamilore Odunsi, was stabbed to death in Texas, United States, just two days before her graduation.
According to the Houston Police, the deceased, a student, was found dead by police at her home in Houston shortly before 4 pm local time on Saturday, April 26.
The ICIR also reported in May that a human rights lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, called on the Nigerian Government and the Government of Switzerland to launch a thorough investigation into the controversial death of Michael Kenechukwu Ekemezie, a 39-year-old Nigerian man who allegedly died on May 25 following a violent confrontation with Swiss Police in Lausanne.
Ejiofor demanded a full, independent, and transparent investigation into the killing, the public release of the identities and roles of all officers involved, and the immediate suspension and arrest of those officers pending the outcome of the probe.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.