The Vice Principal of Ibadan Grammar School, Mr. Iyiola Agbejinmi, tells The Punch’s OLUFEMI OLANIYI how a suspected ‘Yahoo Boy’ (Internet fraudster) killed his sister, Mrs. Abimbola Uthman, for daring to challenge him after he bashed her car
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Agbejinmi Oyewumi. I am from Ogbomoso in Oyo State. I am the Vice Principal, Ibadan Grammar School, Molete.
Who was the late Mrs Abimbola Uthman to you?
She was my immediate younger sister.
What was her occupation?
She was a teacher at Islamic High School, Basorun, Ibadan. She was just 48 years old when she was killed by a Yahoo boy on October 14.
Were you present when she was killed?
No, but her seven-year-old daughter narrated how the incident happened to me.
How did it happen?
The daughter told me that her mother went to meet the eldest daughter, who was returning to Ibadan from Ekiti State at the gate of the University of Ibadan. That was on October 14, at about 8pm. She went to the University of Ibadan area where she intended to pick the eldest daughter. She wanted to park her car in front of Polaris Bank there when a wine coloured Sienna mini bus hit her car from behind.
My sister came down to check the extent of the damage done to her car by the Toyota Sienna but the driver of the vehicle which hit her did not come down and was not moved at all. She told the young man to park and come down to check the damage but the young man was said to have threatened to crush her with his vehicle if she didn’t leave the road. And even before she could move, the boy crushed her and she was rushed to hospital to save her life but she died few hours later. She died at around 12:15am the next day. That was what happened. The same Yahoo boy that hit her car ran over her with his Sienna bus and killed her.
Which hospital was she taken to?
I was told they first rushed her to one or two hospitals before she was taken to the UCH where she eventually died the following morning, October 15.
Was the Yahoo boy arrested?
He fled with his vehicle immediately he crushed her. It was her daughter who was in the car with her that narrated what happened. She gave the description of the boy; she said he was wearing dreadlocks, the typical hairstyle of Yahoo boys. She said the boy is short and fair in complexion. Those were what she could say about the boy who killed her mother. She said the boy told her, ‘I will crush you if you don’t leave that place,’ and he did just that.
Was the incident reported to the police?
Yes, it was reported at the Sango Police Station, Ibadan. They told us they were investigating it. They said they had started doing their job and they had started looking for him. But the clue that will make that easy is the number plate of the vehicle. All that the girl knows is that it was a wine coloured Sienna. I think it is that regular Sienna commonly used for inter-state transport.
The police assured us that they would do everything to get the killer and we are hoping and waiting for that to be done. We pray that God will lead them. They have promised us that they would do their best.
Has your sister been buried?
Yes, she has been buried. There was no use delaying the burial. It was a very sad incident and we had to do that quickly. She was buried last Wednesday.
How is the family coping with the tragic loss?
Everybody is traumatised by the incident. That she died is painful but the manner of her death makes it more painful. I think the police will do well by arresting her killer. She was run over with a car deliberately and the best thing they can do is to bring the boy to justice. He has killed her and that can not be reversed. It’s a pity. My sister was not a troublesome person. We are still in shock how somebody just threatened to kill her and carried out the threat instantly.
