The Zone 2 Police Command has arrested three men said
to be responsible for several killings in the Ijoko area of Ogun State.
It was learnt that the
suspects – Moses Anthony, Kabiru Ajao and Samson Adagun – were arrested by
operatives of the Zonal Intervention Squad after a tip-off.
The
police said the suspects were responsible for the death of a welder, identified
only as Lanre, who was shot dead about a week ago.
The
police added that operatives recovered three cut-to-size guns and four live
cartridges from the suspects during a search of their hideouts.
However,
the men, who admitted to being members of the Eiye Confraternity, said their
action followed the killing of their leader, Olakunle Adelabu, aka Callous.
Adelabu
was a 400-level student of Animal Science and Livestock Production of the
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
The
suspects noted that they joined some of Adelabu’s undergraduate friends to
unleash mayhem on the community during which the welder, Lanre, was shot dead.
Anthony,
a national of Cotonou, Benin Republic, said the crisis in the Ijoko community
started after the son of a traditional ruler, Next Turn,
who was a member of the Eiye cult decamped to Aiye.
He
said the prince accused the Eiye members of betraying his father by taking
sides with a rival traditional ruler.
He
said, “Because of that, the prince and his group started killing every Eiye
member in the community, and at a point, we fled to Ifo, a neighbouring
community, where Callous (Adelabu) was
managing a site.
“Callous, who was our number one, went to Ijoko on April 19.
He was leaving for school the following day when the gang led by the prince
broke his skull with stones.
“After
Callous was killed, some of his
undergraduate friends joined us in launching a reprisal.
“Those
that joined us to carry out the operation were undergraduates of FUNAAB and
they were seven in number. They are Shakur, Sikiru, Sola, Wale, Joshua, Taju
and Kehinde.”
Asked
how the gang came about the arms and ammunition, Anthony said they belonged to
Adelabu, adding that he didn’t know how he got them.
Another
suspect, Ajao, who hails from Ede, Osun State, denied following the gang that
shot the welder.
“When
they killed our brother, Callous, our gang
members went to retaliate. Those that killed Callous were led by a
prince. When the police barge into my house while I was asleep, I told them I
was a cult member, but I didn’t join them for the reprisal,” he said.
The
third suspect, Adagun, a 25-year-old indigene of Kogi State, urged the police
to arrest other members of the rival gang, saying without that, there would be
no peace in the community.
“The
Aiye members have chased Eiye members from Ijoko because they have the support
of the prince. The killings will not end until the police arrest the prince,”
he added.
The
Zonal Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said the suspects were among
many others that the police had declared wanted for cult-related activities and
killings in Ogun State.
She
explained that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Ibrahim, had
ordered that they be smoked out of their hideouts, which led to the operation.
She
said, “We got information that these men and others still at large are members
of a killer squad and also members of a secret society. The ZIS operatives
moved into the community and three of them were apprehended. During a search of
their hideout, three cut-to-size guns were recovered, as well as four
cartridges.
They
confessed that their leader was killed by a rival gang and they went on a
revenge mission, during which they killed one Lanre. They will be arraigned in
court for offences bordering on cultism and murder.”
The
Public Relations Officer of FUNAAB, Emi Alawode, promised to get back to our
correspondent to react to the story and confirm the studentship of Adelabu.
She
had yet to do so as of press time.
However,
on the Facebook of the deceased, some of his
friends paid tributes to his memories.
One
Adokin said, “My Olakunle; he was indeed a loving husband and a caring father.
I love you so much, but God loves you more. And to FUNAAB students, accept my
condolences.”
One
Temitope said, “I tried your line, but it wasn’t going through. You mean Carlos don die like dat?”
Source:Punch
Tags
Society