A Dane, Peter Nielsen, has been arrested in connection with the murder of his Nigerian wife, Zainab, and their four-year-old daughter.
Zainab is a musician popularly known as Alizee.
They were murdered in the family’s residence at Ocean Parade, Banana Island, in the early hours of Thursday.
While the circumstances surrounding the incident were still sketchy, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Chike Oti, has confirmed the incident as well as the arrest of the suspect for murder.
He said, “The state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, has ordered the arrest of the suspect and he is in police custody. It is pre-emptive now to ascertain the cause of the incident. The CP has dispatched crime scene investigators to the place to pick evidences for analysis, which can be used for prosecution. The command has also written the Embassy of the suspect that the police are investigating the case.”
The corpses have also been deposited in a mortuary for autopsy.
The 29-year-old singer signed a two-year record deal with an Asian record label, Petra Entertainment, in 2017. The deal reportedly earned her a new Ford explorer SUV, a house on Banana Island and international distribution with affiliates of her record company in Asia.
Meanwhile, the late singer’s record label has issued a statement urging the Nigerian Immigration Service to be on the alert.
The statement partly read, “Petra Entertainment Limited has received with shock news of the sudden demise of our artist Nielsen Zainab Joy (Aged 29) and her daughter Nielsen Petra (Aged 4) at their Banana Island, Lagos home on the 5th of April 2018. The late Nielsen Zainab Joy (also known as Alizee) was a Nigerian citizen married to Nielsen Peter Schau a Danish citizen resident in Nigeria.
“While we exercise restraint in making public comments on the circumstances surrounding the demise of Alizee and her daughter, – in order not to prejudices on-going police investigations – it has become important to correct some misinformation presently circulating in the media space.
“We call all law enforcement agencies to speedily unravel the circumstances surrounding the demise of these vibrant Nigerians and bring all complicit persons and/or entities to justice. In the light of reports suggesting that Alizee’s husband may be under police investigation in connection with these painful deaths, we particularly call on the Nigerian immigration Services to remain vigilant at this time and urge the cooperation of all foreign missions in the country. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the relatives of the late Zainab and Petra.”
Before her death, the singer had been scheduled for the ‘Kingmaker Concert,’ a musical event to be headlined by Alterplate Music Company artiste, Harrysong.
A native of Kogi State, Nigeria, she was set to promote her January 2018-released single, ‘Alhaji Musa’, before the alleged murder.
Watch some of the late singer’s music videos below
