Police nab three teenagers for robbing, killing motorcyclist

Etim Effiong

An 18-year-old boy, Sodiq Awokoya together with his accomplices Odunayo Samson, 18, and Jimoh Rilwan, 17, were arrested by operatives of the Ogun State Police Command for killing a motorcyclist Bashiru Umaru before snatching his motorcycle.

The suspects, as confirmed by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed that the suspects were arrested on October 8 at the Tollgate area of Ogere, where they had gone to sell the deceased motorcycle.

According to him, the buyer, who demanded documents of the motorcycle before he could buy it became suspicious when the three suspects were giving conflicting accounts of how they came about the motorbike.

Oyeyemi said: “The buyer, thereby secretly informed the police in Ogere Divisional Headquarters. Consequent upon which the DPO Ogere Division, CSP Abiodun Ayinde led his men to the scene and got the three suspects apprehended.

“On interrogation, they informed the police that the motorcycle was stolen from Iperu Remo, and they were subsequently handed over to the police in Iperu Division.

“Coincidentally, it was the time the relations of the deceased came to lodge the 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 is being tied to a tree in the bush.

“In order to rescue the victim, the policemen quickly led the suspects to the bush, but surprisingly, they have hacked him to death before taking away the motorcycle”, Oyeyemi said.

Further investigation by the police revealed that Samson Odunayo was the person, who called the deceased to take him to somewhere in Iperu, unknown to the Okada man that he had already informed Sodiq Awokoya to wait in a bush along Ona Eri area of Iperu with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.

“On getting to the point, Samson Odunayo ordered the deceased to stop because he has got to his destination. While the deceased was waiting to collect his money, Sodiq Awokoya came out with a cutlass and hacked him down.

“While wriggling in pain, Samson Awokoya moved near him and squeezed his neck until he gave up the ghost. They searched his pocket and found the sum of ₦5,500 which they also took away.

“Further investigation revealed that this is the second robbery operations the suspects had carried out. Their first victim was safe from being killed by the Intervention of Jimoh Rilwan who appealed to the other two to spare the life of the victim having robbed of ₦4,500, and that was the reason why Samson and Sodiq didn’t carry him along during their second operation.

“The motorcycle and the cutlass they used for killing the deceased have been recovered”, Oyeyemi said. Meanwhile, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation, with a view to charging them to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.