Police parade Imam, three others for alleged murder

Four men were on Monday paraded by the Osun State Police Command for allegedly killing one Victor Akinbile in Ikirun, the headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State.

Parading the suspects in Osogbo, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fimihan Adeoye, said the suspects abducted Akinbile, who came from Lagos to see his grandmother on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, and forced him to transfer N3m to the account of one of them.

According to the CP, the suspects later drove Akinbile to the outskirt of the town, locked him inside the booth of his vehicle and set the car ablaze.

The police boss said the suspects were informed of the presence of the deceased in the house by a guard, Bashir Owolabi, who was working in the next building to where Akinbile had put up for the night.

The suspects, Rafiu Ahmed, Sunday Kayode and Rasheed Waheed, owned up to the crime, but Owolabi, who claimed to be an imam (Islamic cleric), denied passing any information to the suspects.

Adeoye said, “We were alerted by some friends of Akinbile, who could no longer reach him after 10.30pm on Monday, November 26, 2018. They later discovered that few hours before he could no longer be reached, the late Akinbile had transferred N3m to a UBA account of someone not known to them.

“Immediately we received that complaint, we set out to work. The OC (officer in charge) anti-kidnapping and others moved to Lagos and one of the suspects, Rafiu Ahmed, was arrested in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

“It was Rafiu Ahmed who led them to arrest others involved in the crime. The deceased was killed in a gruesome way. We will not rest in our resolve to rid the state of crime. It is our mandate and we shall remain steadfast.”

Responding to questions from journalists, Ahmed said he was told that Akinbile would be arriving the house by Owolabi, who was assisting him to prepare charms.

He stated, “I was a scrap dealer. I was not into stealing before. On November 26, Baba Owolabi called me to come and rob a man, who was passing the night in a compound beside my house. Baba is my spiritual father. He used to make charms for me.

“I didn’t go to the house alone. I called Kayode and Waheed, who are my friends. We attacked the man around 1am. I removed the burglar deterrent bars on the window with a big stick and we gained access into the room where he was sleeping.

“The man did not struggle with us at all; we collected the N25,000 he had on him. We demanded more money and he transferred N3m out of the N5m he claimed was in his account to my account.

“I wanted us to leave the man, but Waheed insisted that we must not leave him alive. We put him inside the booth of his car and drove him to Ikirun Road.

“We didn’t have any weapon. I looked into the booth of his vehicle and I saw many cardboards. We ordered him back into the booth and I collected a lighter from Waheed and set the vehicle ablaze.”