Edo Police hunt man who allegedly killed father with hammer

Shock and grief have enveloped Fugar community in Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State after a community chief, Chief Julius Bello Ogata, was allegedly killed by his son in a hammer attack.

The incident reportedly occurred on Monday, shortly after the suspect returned from Lagos to visit his family and attend a burial ceremony in the community.

Community sources said the suspect, whose identity had yet to be established, had been living in Lagos and had not visited Fugar for some time.

On his arrival over the weekend, Ogata was said to have welcomed him warmly. The father and son reportedly had a lengthy discussion before retiring for the night.

However, the reunion allegedly ended in tragedy when the suspect sneaked into his father’s room in the dead of night and repeatedly hit him on the head with a hammer while he was asleep.

Believing he had killed his father, the suspect reportedly fled the house and escaped from the community to an unknown destination.

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Despite his injuries, the chief allegedly managed to crawl out of his room and alert family members, who rushed to his assistance.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment but later died from the injuries sustained in the attack.

A resident, who identified himself as Peter, described the incident as an abomination, saying the community was shocked by the alleged killing.

“The boy is living in Lagos. He came to the village for a burial but ended up killing his father. He didn’t shoot him with a gun but killed him with a hammer. He went to his father’s room after he had slept and attacked him with a hammer before fleeing the community,” he said.

Peter added that residents were unaware of any disagreement or grievance between the deceased and his son, making the incident particularly difficult to comprehend.

He also said the suspect had not been seen since the attack.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the suspect allegedly attacked his father with a hammer before fleeing after believing he had killed him.

Ikoedem said police operatives responded to a distress call, rushed the victim to a hospital and later received confirmation of his death.

She added that the command had launched a manhunt for the suspect and would ensure he was apprehended and brought to justice.

As of the time of filing this report, the suspect remained at large, while residents continued to mourn the death of the community chief.