The personal assistant who killed and dismembered his former boss, Fahim Saleh, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.
Tyrese Haspil, 25, was found guilty in June of murder, grand larceny, and other charges related to the 2020 death of Saleh, a tech entrepreneur and founder of the Nigerian ride-hailing startup Gokada.
Prosecutors said Haspil was hired as Saleh’s assistant but soon began stealing money from his businesses. Even after Haspil resigned, he continued to take money, despite Saleh discovering the theft. Saleh had offered Haspil a chance to repay the stolen $400,000 over two years to avoid legal trouble. However, Haspil feared that Saleh would find out he was still stealing and decided to kill him.
On July 13, 2020, Haspil, dressed in a black suit and mask, followed Saleh into the elevator of his luxury apartment building in Manhattan. When the elevator doors opened into Saleh’s apartment, Haspil shocked him in the back with a Taser. Saleh fell to the floor, and Haspil stabbed him to death.
The next day, Haspil returned to the apartment to dismember Saleh’s body with an electric saw. When the saw’s battery died, he left to buy a charger. During this time, Saleh’s cousin arrived at the apartment and discovered his dismembered body. Haspil was arrested by police a few days later.
“Today, Tyrese Haspil is facing accountability for brutally murdering and decapitating Fahim Saleh, a kind, generous, and empathetic person who positively impacted the world,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “Even after the defendant stole from him to fund a lavish lifestyle, Mr. Saleh still gave him a second chance.”
Bragg added, “While today’s sentence won’t bring Mr. Saleh back, I hope it provides his family a sense of closure as they continue to mourn his painful loss.”
FCCPC seeks help from traders to stop consumer exploitation
The Federal Competition and Consumers’ Protection Commission is asking traders and others involved in production and distribution to help fight against price fixing and unfair practices.
The Vice Chairman and CEO of FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, made this appeal during a town hall meeting in Lagos with industry leaders, market associations, transport operators, and service providers.
“We discovered that some traders form cartels in the markets and put barriers in form of ridiculous membership fees intended to ensure price fixing in the market. Without joining them, they won’t allow anyone to sell goods in the market or provide services,” Bello said. “Such practices are against the law and constitute some of the offenses the commission is against.”
Bello explained that the town hall meeting was organized to engage with stakeholders in the market to discuss and find solutions. He stressed the importance of working together to benefit everyone, especially as Nigerians are currently facing high prices for food and transportation.
While acknowledging that the rising exchange rate and petrol prices make old prices unsustainable, Bello criticized the excessive price increases, which he attributed to market “cartels” exploiting consumers. He said, “The FCCPC initiative is coming at a time Nigerians are experiencing sharp increases in the prices of food items and transportation costs across the country.”
Even though the FCCPC has the power under Section 17 of the FCCP Act to take strong actions against offenders, including fines of up to N10 million and jail terms of up to three years, Bello said the commission is first trying dialogue to find a consensus solution. He also announced that the FCCPC has upgraded its complaint portal, making it easier for consumers to report issues.
Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja of Lagos, suggested holding a symposium with market leaders, traders, transport agencies, and security personnel to tackle the ongoing issues with logistics that are driving prices up. She said, “We must all work together to ensure that prices are fair for everyone, especially in these challenging times. Even if we have made higher profits in the past, now is the time for traders to make reasonable profits and show empathy for the economic situation facing many Nigerians.”
Dr. Abdullahi Adamu, Executive Commissioner of Operations at FCCPC, also spoke about the illegal practices, saying, “We are not a price regulatory agency, but price gouging and collusion among traders to fix prices is illegal, and we will continue to address these practices head-on.”
