The news of the brutal murder of Fahim Saleh, a serial entrepreneur , who is the brain behind Nigeria’s Gokada, sent terror down the spines of many people in the African Tech space and all around the world on Wednesday, 15th July 2020.
The 33 year old was killed in his recently acquired $2.3million condo where his body was found by his sister who was confronted with gory bits of her brother’s dismembered body.
Since the news broke, the main question we all had was who did it and why? Some alleged that the manner of the killing mirrored the same one used by dangerous cartels.
Some even alleged the death was racially charged .
Contrary to expectation, Saleh’s story is one that fits the narrative of Discovery ID Channel’s Betrayed. It turns out that the killer may be his personal assistant – Tyrese Haspil. According to NYPD, Saleh’s 21 year old Personal assistant,Mr Haspil is accused of using a taser on Saleh and then fatally stabbing him on Monday.
“[The suspect] handled [Saleh’s] finances and personal matters,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison told reporters after the arrest on Friday. He is said to be owing the slain CEO as much as $100,000. Sahim is said to have set up repayment plans after a discovered the money mismanagement.
Saleh is a big player in the Nigerian Tech Industry especially in the areas of transportatiion and logistics. In 2019, Gokada secured US$5.3 million in funding with a plan to expand its driver fleet, increase its daily ride numbers and grow its team. However the plan was truncated in 2020 when the Lagos state government issued a ban of commercial bikes and tricycles. A month after, it launched a logistics business.
