A retired 63-year-old Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Charles Atideka, has reportedly taken his own life after allegedly killing three people in a land dispute in Badagry, Lagos State. The police confirmed the incident, which took place on Tuesday morning. Atideka is said to have shot and killed two family members, Richard and Latevi Atideka, along with another individual, Muji Onilude, from a neighboring community, aided by an unidentified accomplice. A survivor, David Atideka, recounted the traumatic event, which occurred between 2:00 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. in the Atideka family compound.
Police spokesperson SP Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed that Charles Atideka, the retired officer accused of killing three people, took his own life after the incident. He reportedly ingested a toxic substance and lost consciousness, leading to his hospitalization, where he was pronounced dead. Both his body and those of the victims have been placed in the morgue.
In contrast, Mr. Henry Atideka, the son of Charles, provided a different account, claiming that his father collapsed and died while being taken to the Badagry Police Station for questioning.
Henry Atideka informed NAN that his father, Charles Atideka, had been summoned by the police as the main suspect in the alleged killings of three individuals in their community. He contested the reported suicide, citing medical records from the General Hospital in Badagry that indicated a different account.
Henry explained that after police visited their community, his father prepared to go to the police station for questioning around 8:30 a.m. However, he received a call around 12:30 p.m. informing him that his father had collapsed and had been taken to the hospital. Henry’s brother, John Atideka, later visited Charles in the hospital, where he found three policemen guarding him due to his status as a prime suspect. John learned that their father had been admitted to intensive care, and he paid for his admission and medication before leaving to change clothes.
Henry Atideka recounted that when his brother returned to the hospital at around 3:30 p.m., both their father and the three police officers were missing from the intensive care unit. Inquiring with a nurse, John learned that their father had passed away, which prompted Henry to contact the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for information. The DPO was unaware of the situation.
Henry arrived at the hospital around 4:00 p.m. but was initially denied access to his father’s body. After reaching out to the DPO again, he was allowed to see him and discovered that his father was deceased. Henry attributed his father’s death to high blood pressure caused by the stress of the accusations, insisting that Charles was an upstanding member of the Badagry community and didn’t commit any crime. He called for a thorough investigation to identify the true perpetrator.
Dr. Olatunde Bakare, Medical Director of General Hospital Badagry, confirmed that Charles was admitted in the afternoon and died three hours later. However, no tests had been conducted to determine the exact cause of death, leaving uncertainty about whether it was due to suicide or a spike in blood pressure.