Ogun police arrest couple, one other for kidnapping, killing

Etim Ekpimah

Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested one Larry Adebayo Adewumi and his wife Okereke Olufunmilayo with one Adebowale Sanni over the abduction and killing of a popular hotelier, Otunba Abayomi Ajayi Smith, the Director of Rolak Hotel Ijebu Ode.

Otunba Ajayi Smith was kidnapped on 28 September 2020 around 7:30 am, at Anifowose Estate Igbeba, Ijebu Ode by some gunmen.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Command, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said on receiving the information about the kidnap, men of Anti kidnapping unit were then mobilized to commence the investigation, but all efforts to get the victim out of captivity proved abortive, despite the fact that the victim’s family paid a ransom of N15 million to the abductors.

According to him, since then, the police operatives have not relented in their efforts to fish out those behind the devilish act.

He said: “The efforts of the SP Taiwo Opadiran-led team yielded positive results in September this year when they got wind of the plan by the hoodlums to strike again, this time, the wife and son of Otunba Ajayi Smith were their target.

“The team, having got the intelligence report, embarked on technical surveillance for the suspects, consequence upon which one of them was traced to Ikeji Arakeji in Osun state, where the 55 years old Adebowale Sanni was apprehended.

“On interrogation, he confessed to having been on the trail of Yeye Olusola Roseline Ajayi, the wife of their earlier victim, Otunba Ajayi Smith in order to kidnap her, on the order of Larry Adebayo Adewumi the ring leader, whose wife Olufunmilayo happened to be an employee of Otunba Ajayi Smith.

“He confessed further that it was Larry who described the location of the victim’s hotel and his other business outfits to him with instruction that if they succeeded in kidnapping the woman and her son, the two of them must be killed after collecting ransom in order not to leave any trait, just as they did to her husband two years ago.

“His confession led to the arrest of Larry’s wife Olufunmilayo who was a manager at the victim’s building materials shops.

“Larry himself was arrested three days after, he initially denied having anything to do with the kidnap of Otunba Abayomi Ajayi Smith, but when he came into confrontation with Adebowale Sanni, his accomplice, he knew immediately that the game is up.”

He said that a preliminary investigation revealed that Larry who is an indigene of Ilesha Osun state used to be a fraudster before he graduated from the full-time kidnapping business.

“His modus operandi was to scout for a rich victim, after which he will mobilize the gang working for him to go after such a person.

“He got full information about Otunba Ajayi Smith through his wife Olufunmilayo who was an employee of the man.

“Further investigation revealed that Larry has two bank accounts where he used to keep money realized from his criminal activities,” he said.

Oyeyemi added that in one of the accounts with number 0010913206 domicile in JAIZ Bank, the sum of thirty-four million, nine hundred and fifty-three thousand four hundred and fifty-five naira (#34,953,455) was discovered there in, while he has the sum of four million five hundred and seventy-six thousand eight hundred and forty-six naira (#4,576,846) in another account with Access Bank.

The PPRO noted that a 2014 model Toyota Highlander was also recovered from him.

The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, who commended his men for painstakingly following the suspects until they were arrested, directed that other members of the gang should be hunted for and brought to book.

He also directed that the suspects be as soon as the investigation is concluded.