Teenager kills 70-year-old father over money dispute in Edo

The Edo State Police Command has provided details on the case involving a 17-year-old, Arthur Angel Jr., who allegedly killed his 70-year-old father, Arthur Judah Angel.

The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute over funds expected from Amnesty International.

News360 Nigeria reports that the Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, who spoke to newsmen in Benin City, said the suspect had severally threatened to kill his father on the ground that his father was expecting some money from Amnesty International.

Nwabuzor said the suspect who had since been arrested, killed the deceased with a sledge-hammer and buried him in a shallow grave behind his house.

According to him, “on the 15th of July, 2024, at about 09.00 hours, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ugboha division in Edo State received a complaint that one Arthur Angel Jr. (17 years) brought a complaint of a shallow grave discovery at the backyard of the compound where he lived with the deceased.

“Immediately, the DPO mobilized his men and they moved out to the scene. On getting there, they saw a shallow grave and decided to exhume the body.

“When the body was exhumed, they discovered that it was the lifeless body of Arthur Angel, 70, and at a close look, they saw a sharp injury on the back of the deceased head, and the body was taken to Uromi Hospital mortuary.

“The DPO said that preliminary investigation revealed that Arthur Angel Jr. had severally threatened to kill his father on the ground that his father was expecting some money from Amnesty International.

“The suspect had a feeling that the money had been paid to the deceased and decided to use the sledge-hammer to hit him behind the head while he was asleep.”

He said the suspect has been transferred from Ugboha to the homicide section of the Edo State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

He said the incident happened at Ugboha community in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.

Until his death, Arthur Judah Angel was an anti-death penalty advocate, and a human rights defender, who used his foundation, Life Wire International Foundation, to fight against the death penalty in the country.

He was said to have travelled to over 15 countries to speak out against the death penalty through his art exhibitions and drawings