Man's skeleton found in room 7 months after disappearance

The Ikorodu residence of the deceased

Seven months after being declared missing, the skeleton of one Sikiru Yusuf has been found inside his room in Ikorodu. The Nation reports that the shocking discovery about the 46-year-old man who was a resident of 21, Jaiyesinmi Street, Aga, Ikorodu, was made by his elder brother, Alhaji Basiru Yusuf, who
had obeyed the landlady’s order to pack his brother’s property. Yusuf’s job, which usually took him out of town for about two or three months, had been suspected as a reason the deceased was not seen at home and not even the foul smell from his room, which was thought to be a dead rat, could convince the residents that he was in the room. His family members at Ikosi in Ketu were notified of his absence after about five months and they assumed he might have traveled, but when the house owner grew impatient, she ordered an evacuation of the man’s belongings from the room.

It was when the deceased’s elder brother, at about 12.30pm on Monday, forced the door open in the presence of the landlady and other residents that they saw the skeleton of the occupant on the floor, with a rope beside it, suggesting that he may have committed suicide. Funmi Badewa, the daughter of the house owner, said they did not suspect anything was wrong because the deceased was not always around. She said: “At first, we thought he must have gone for his job, which usually kept him away for two or three months.

But we became worried and contacted his family when we did not see him after some months. “We went to his family at Ikosi in Ketu and asked after him. But they too said they have not seen him and that he probably traveled. When it was seven months, his brother now came and said they would pack his things since no one has seen him. “They broke the door and that was when his skeleton was found on the ground. We also saw a rope, which means he might have committed suicide. “There was a time we perceived bad odour, but we thought that a rat might have died somewhere. The smell lasted several days. No one even thought it could be a dead human being

 The Lagos state command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed the incident, said: “The complainant said he was invited by his brother’s landlady to evacuate his belongings because he absconded and locked his room and parlour apartment up for seven months. “However, when the door was forced open, it was discovered that the said Sikiru Yusuf had died long ago as his skeleton was found on the floor. “On receipt of complaint, a team of detectives visited, examined and photographed the scene, while the remains was removed and deposited at public morgue for autopsy. Investigation is ongoing to unravel what actually transpired.”