How I strangled a woman to death for a 50,000 naira debt - Suspect

Joseph Fekala, who was arrested by Bayelsa State Police Command for allegedly killing a 25-year-old woman, one Kate Ogwoh, and burying her body at his apartment in Okaka community, Yenagoa local government area of ​​the state, tells DANIELS IGONI why he regretted his despicable act

How old are you and what is your occupation?

I am 27 years old. I worked in a company as an administrative support employee.

Where is the company located?

It's in Port Harcourt, (Rivers State). It is located along the Aba road. It is an oil and gas company.

What is your title and how long have you worked there?

I started working in April this year. I send reports on the weekly activities of the company.

Is it true that you are a youth pastor in a church in Yenagoa?

I am not a pastor.

You have been arrested for suspected murder. How did this happen?

July 1 (2022) I came to Bayelsa to do some maintenance on my apartment because Kate (the deceased) met me in February and told me she had needed accommodation due to the fact that the person she was living with in Lagos no longer wanted her to stay. She therefore needed a place for about four months before returning to Lagos. So, since my younger sister, who was her friend, gave her permission to come and live in the house, a two-bedroom apartment, I agreed to let her come. I gave her one of the bedrooms and stayed in the living room. After a while I got a job and left for Port Harcourt. From time to time, I returned to my house to do maintenance because it was not well repaired. That day (July 1) when I came, we were talking and all that. Then she told me that she wanted to get into forex trading because she knew that in 2020 I was involved in forex. She told me to trade for her, but I told her the best I could do for anyone was to teach the person to trade and not trade for them, as I knew the downsides involved in exchange for people. We moved on after so much discussion.

One ​​night I was in the house when she went to her family in Opolo. She asked for my (bank) account details and I sent them to her and she sent me 50,000 naira. It was the first week of July.

Did you ask her why she sent you the money or were you expecting her?

I didn't want to ask him what it was for because I made it clear that I didn't want to trade for anyone. And she mentioned that she wanted to help fix the house because she wanted to have guests, and I told her it was fine if he wanted to help and that I would use the money to cover the rent. She has accepted. The next day when I asked her what the 50,000 naira was for, she said she wanted me to trade for her but I told her I couldn't. Like I said, the best I can do is teach someone how to trade, but after so much persuasion, I agreed. So, I asked her what she expects from it monthly (trade) and she said she expects N20,000 per month for five months from N50,000. But I told her no bank or financial institution could not do that for her. It's not a miracle. We talked for a while and I told him to send me his (bank) details to return the money to him after five days. Some things happened and I couldn't return the money on time.

How did she react?

She started texting my co-worker saying I'm a criminal and a scammer. She insulted me. I had just started working (in Port Harcourt) recently and didn't want it to get out of hand at the office. So I tried to talk to her to clear myself but she wouldn't listen. I said it was (the inability to return her money) something I couldn't explain on the phone, so I had to go to Bayelsa to talk to her one-on-one. So, I went to Bayelsa on July 25 to talk to him and make him see the reason, with the hope of returning soon to Port Harcourt. But when I got to Bayelsa a little before 9 p.m., I saw she was angry so I didn't talk to her. I didn't say anything, just lay in my bed and tried to sleep. I also noticed that she had one of my tenants' children, but when I asked the child what she was doing in the house, Kate raised her voice and started yelling at me, wondering what looks at me on who she had on me. I said it was my house and I was talking to the kid, not her but she said she didn't want to start a fight with me that night.

I left her and tried to sleep but for almost 20 minutes she kept talking and raising her voice. I ignored him and tried to sleep. The day after...