A 25-year-old man, Hammed Tunde, has been allegedly stabbed to death by his friend, identified simply as Gafar, during a heated argument reportedly over a woman in the Oja Gboro area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

PUNCH Online gathered that the tragic incident occurred on Tuesday evening while the two friends, reportedly close companions, were patronising a sugarcane seller in the area.

According to eyewitnesses, what began as a mild argument between the two soon degenerated into a violent confrontation, leading Gafar, aged 21, to allegedly stab Tunde in the chest with a knife.

“The argument was about a girlfriend they were both interested in. Before we knew it, Gafar brought out a knife and stabbed his friend,” an eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, told PUNCH Online.

The victim, a resident of Ile-Soro 2, Oja Gboro, was rushed to a nearby private hospital but was later referred to the General Hospital, Ilorin, where he was confirmed dead on arrival.

The suspect, said to be a native of Ile Olowo in the same area, reportedly fled the scene immediately after committing the act. His whereabouts and those of his family members remain unknown as of the time of filing this report.

Confirming the incident on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the command received a distress call around 2:30 am on Wednesday and promptly dispatched officers to the scene.

She said, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased, Hammed Usman Tunde, was stabbed by his friend, Gafar, who fled immediately after the incident. Operatives later visited the suspect’s family house, but the entire household had absconded.”

The Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, while commiserating with the family of the deceased, ordered a discreet investigation into the matter and assured that efforts are ongoing to track down the fleeing suspect.

The CP also commended residents of Oja Gboro for maintaining peace and not resorting to jungle justice.

He said, “We understand the pain of losing a loved one in such a tragic way, but we urge everyone to remain calm as the police intensify efforts to bring the suspect to justice.” (PUNCH)