A retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Charles Atideka, 63, has committed suicide after allegedly killing three people over a land dispute in the Badagry area of Lagos State.
The Lagos State Police Command confirmed the development on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Reports said that the ex-police officer, on Tuesday, shot and killed two family members and one other individual over a land dispute.
Richard Atideka and Latevi Atideka – both from Yovoyan community – and Muji Onilude from the neighbouring Gberefu community were killed by the ex-police officer and his yet-to-be-identified accomplice.
A survivor of the attack, David Atideka, who recounted the harrowing experience, disclosed that the incident occurred between 2:00am and 2:30am in the Atideka compound.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the sexagenarian, however, took his own life after committing the crime.
Hundeyin said the ex-police officer ingested a poisonous substance, became unconscious, and was later rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
The police spokesperson said: “The suspect in the incident is dead. He killed three people and allegedly took poison after committing the act.
“He was thereafter rushed to the hospital, where the doctor confirmed him dead.
“His corpse and those of the victims have been deposited in the morgue.”
However, Henry Atideka, the son of the alleged killer, provided a different account of events.
He stated that his late father, Charles Atideka, collapsed and died while on his way to the Badagry Police Station for interrogation.
Henry told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that his father had been invited by the police as the prime suspect in the alleged killing of three people in their community.
Henry disputed the suicide claim, stating that medical records from the General Hospital in Badagry indicated otherwise.
He said: “When the police visited our community shortly after the incident, my father was invited to the station in Badagry for interrogation as the prime suspect.
“At 8:30am, my father prepared to go to the police station and called to inform me.
“But at 12:30pm, someone called to inform me that he had been admitted to General Hospital Badagry after collapsing and being rushed there.
“I called my brother, John Atideka, to check on him at the hospital.”
Henry stated that his brother arrived at the hospital and found three policemen guarding their father, as he was considered a prime suspect in the killings.
He added: “John said my father was admitted to the intensive care unit, and he paid for his admission and some drugs before going home to change.
“When my brother returned about 3:30 p.m., he could not find my father or the three policemen at the unit.
“Upon inquiry, a nurse informed him that our father had died. That was when he called me.”
Henry said he contacted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to inquire about his father’s whereabouts, but the DPO claimed ignorance of the situation.
The Medical Director of General Hospital Badagry, Dr Olatunde Bakare, confirmed that the deceased was rushed to the hospital in the afternoon and died about three hours later.
Bakare said: “The hospital has not conducted any tests to determine the exact cause of death.
“We do not know whether the deceased committed suicide by swallowing something or if his death was due to a rise in blood pressure.”
– NAN