Engr. Shittu Yusuf, brother to Rafiat has narrated how his 30-year-old sister, (Rafiat), was allegedly killed by her husband, Peter Nielsen during an argument.
He wailed that Nielsen, had severally smashed the deceased’s head on a wall during a heated argument in the Gas Line area of Ijoko, Ogun State, on August 6, 2023
34-years-old Yusuf and elder brother of the deceased who hailed from a home town called Ekpa, told newsmen that t
“it is very true”, that Nielsen committed the said crime against his younger sister.
Narrating the incident, he said:
“Well, I was told that she went over to ask for money for the thrift she was involved in. I wasn’t there to know the full details. My wife was the one who informed me about the incident. She called me on the phone and told me that she heard that my sister died after her husband hit her head against the wall of his house.
“According to eyewitnesses, my sister visited her husband in the Gas Line area of Ijoko that day to collect her thrift money and also some money for her children’s upkeep. He refused to give her and the matter developed into an argument between them, and her husband smashed her head against the wall and she fell.”
Asked whether she gave up the ghost at the scene, he said:
“She was rushed to the hospital immediately and was declared dead. I rushed to the hospital at Ijoko but she was already dead.
“There were two witnesses and they were the ones who told us about the argument that transpired between my sister and her husband. I was told that after the husband hit her head on the wall, he tried to run away, but was arrested.
“They had been having issues because the man did not want to cater for his children. My sister was a fashion designer.
“My sister had two children for him. I had talked to him about the domestic violence issue, and he only promised to change. There was even a time this year or late last year that my sister reported to me that she was beaten by her husband and his younger brother. I spoke to him then but now, he has killed my sister.
“It was a rude shock to all of us. We have not recovered and it can only take the grace of God.
Below is the excerpt from a chat with The Punch:
Are your parents still alive?
Yes, they are.
How are they coping?
They are fairly coping. We keep them company and try as much as possible to encourage them. It is not easy to lose a child. She was the last child of my parents.
Where are your parents?
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They are in Ogun state.
Were your parents in support of their union?
Well, they did not have a legally binding marriage or a traditional marriage that had the formal endorsement of our parents.
What else do you know about her husband?
He is a motor mechanic; some people also said he is a businessman. He is 41 years old.
Is he also from Epe?
Actually, there was not much familiarity between us because I am mostly busy. I can only say he is probably from Oyo State or elsewhere. I am not sure.
Did your late sister ever live with her husband?
They were not legally or traditionally married. He got her an apartment. That is, they didn’t live together, so she used to go to his house whenever she wanted to get anything from her.
Does he have another wife?
The wife he lived with packed out some time ago. So he lived alone ever since with his first child and his younger brother, I think.
How will you describe the temperament of your sister?
Well, anyone can be temperamental. It depends on the level but I will say that she was just a bit temperamental.
Have you heard from her husband’s relatives since your sister died?
Yes. Ever since he was arrested, they have been begging us to withdraw the case, and that we should do everything to prevent him from facing the wrath of the law.
Who has been taking care of the children left behind by the deceased?
We all in the family she left behind are taking care of the children.
How many and how old are the children?
One is nine and one is six years old and she had other children for a man before she met the husband that killed her. Let me just say the oldest children from her first husband should be 14 or 16 years old and the second one is 13.
What are the other things you can say about your late sister, Rafiat?
Rafiat was a good sister. Frankly speaking, there is none without one form of temper or the other. So, she could be a little bit temperamental, but in all, she was a good person and not a troublesome person.
What is the present state of the case being handled by the police?
The body language of the police is to let go of the case. I tried to gauge the feeling of one of the police officers by asking if we could retrieve the body of my sister from the mortuary, and he said yes. For me, that was an indication that the case would be closed if I retrieved the body without any autopsy carried out.
Asked whether he would like to carry on with the case up until the culprit is brought to book, heart broken Yusuf said:
“For now, it’s justice! Such a barbaric act reveals a heartless individual. We also have wives at home and they do offend us even when we display self-control. He (Rafiat’s husband) could have done any other thing but hit his wife’s head against the wall. Justice is all we want.
“She has not been buried even though we are Muslims. We want to also carry out an autopsy because if we bury her, the case will be forgotten. We want justice.
