Three teenagers have been arrested by detectives in Ogun State Police Command, with two of them allegedly killing a motorcyclist, Bashiru Umaru, before carting away his motorcycle, while the third one was part of a bike robbery committed by the same gang before the bubble burst.
The suspects were identified as Sodiq Awokoya (18), Odunayo Samson (18) and Jimoh (surname withheld), aged 17.
Confirming the story in a statement on Thursday, October 14, 2021, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi said that they were arrested on Friday, October 8 at Toll gate area of Ogere where they had gone to sell the deceased’s motorcycle.
According to the PPRO, the buyer, who demanded for the documents of the motorcycle before he could buy it, became suspicious when the three suspects were giving conflicting accounts of how they came about it.
This, he stated further, made the buyer to inform the police in Ogere divisional headquarters, leading to their apprehension by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ogere Division, CSP Abiodun Ayinde and his men.
“On interrogation, they informed the police that the motorcycle was stolen from Iperu Remo, and they were subsequently handed over to police in Iperu division. Coincidentally, it was at the time the relations of the deceased came to lodge a complaint about their missing person that the police brought the suspects from Ogere with the stolen motorcycle.
“On sighting the motorcycle, the relatives of the deceased quickly identified it, and informed the police that the motorcycle brought with the suspects belongs to their missing brother.
“Upon the information, the policemen intensified their investigation into the case, and the suspects later confirmed that they actually snatched the motorcycle, and that the owner was tied to a tree in a bush.
“In order to rescue the victim, the policemen quickly led the suspects to the bush, but surprisingly, they had hacked him to death before taking away the motorcycle.
Further investigation revealed that Samson was the person who called the deceased to take him to somewhere in Iperu, unknown to the okada man that he had already informed Awokoya to wait in a bush along Ona Eri area of Iperu with cutlass and other dangerous weapons.
“On getting to the point, Samson ordered the deceased to stop because he had got to his destination. While the deceased was waiting to collect his money, Awokoya came out with a cutlass and hacked him down.
“While wriggling in pain, Awokoya moved near him and squeezed his neck until he gave up the ghost. They searched his pocket and found the sum of N5,500 which they also took away,” DSP Oyeyemi explained in detail.
He added that further investigation revealed that it would be the second robbery operation carried out by the suspects. Their first victim was saved from being killed by the Intervention of Jimoh who appealed to the other two to spare the life of the victim, having robbed him of N4,500.
This, it was learnt, made Samson and Awokoya not to invite him to their second operation.
The police spokesman said that the motorcycle and the cutlass used in killing the deceased had been recovered, while the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation.
He said that they would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation had been concluded.
