See Photo: Man Kills Lover for Declining Marriage Proposal in Lagos

A 28-year-old man, Raphael Effiong, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly killing his lover, Gift Sunday, in a hotel because she refused to marry him.

Punch reports that 26-year-old Gift, who lived on Fadiya Street, Ketu, Lagos, was a fashion designer, while Raphael, an indigene of Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, was working as a driver in a telecommunications company in Lagos.

According to Gift’s relatives, she had met Raphael sometime last year, and the duo had been having an affair since then. Raphael had on many occasions proposed to marry the deceased, but she
always turned down his request stating that he was a difficult man. Only for Rapheal to allegedly stab her on the arm and the breast on the evening of Monday, July 28 after the duo had checked into a hotel on Yusuf Eleran Street, Ketu, Lagos.

Speaking with PUNCH Metro, a relative of the deceased, who identified himself simply as Dickson, said:

 “The incident happened on Monday evening. It was shocking to all of us. Gift prepared some food, and took it to the hotel on his invitation. They got a room, and checked in. What then happened was that Raphael, who had hidden a pair of scissors in his pocket, swooped on Gift and attacked her. She began to scream, but there was no quick response. He injured her brutally with the scissors. It was after a while when some guests in the hotel heard her screams that they came around and asked Raphael to open the door, but he refused. 

They forced the door open, found Gift in a pool of blood and alerted the policemen from the Alapere division. This was not the first time he would attack her. About a month ago, while he had come on a visit and the two were alone at home, he had attacked her because she was not ready to marry him.”

After the incident at that time, Gift's elder sister, who she was staying with, advised her to break the relationship with Raphael, but the man pleaded with his lover to forgive him.

It was gathered that after the police had arrested Raphael, the deceased was rushed to a hospital in the area, but she did not survive the incident as the doctors reportedly said she had lost too much blood from the wounds.

The acting Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Lelma Kolle, said there was a misunderstanding between the lovers and the suspect stabbed Gift, who died in a hospital. A police source also said the suspect revealed that he killed the deceased because she refused to marry him.