Why we killed Oyo lawmaker – Suspect

One of the suspects who allegedly killed a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Gideon Aremu, on July 1, 2016, in Ibadan, said the gang members initially wanted to rob him of his valuables, but opened fire on him after someone shone a torch on their faces.

The suspect, Ayobami Adedeji, 23, who was paraded by the Oyo State Police Command on Monday, said the gang members did not know Aremu was a lawmaker, but they feared that he might recognise them after seeing their faces.

The lawmaker from the Labour Party, representing Oorelope constituency, was killed in front of his house in the Alakia area of Ibadan, Oyo State, as he alighted from his car to open his gate.

Three gunmen on a motorcycle had trailed him and shot him after a brief argument, according to a family source.

Adedeji said the gang members usually met at Awo Joint in the Beere area of Ibadan, where they smoked marijuana and planned operations.

He said, “On the day we killed him, we took off from Awo Joint at Beere for Adegbayi after smoking Indian hemp. Abbey, who lives at Adegbayi, was the one who invited us to rob in his area.

“We saw the car and we wanted to rob the occupant. The role I played was to hold the phones and the money stolen from the victim. Abbey shot him because somebody shone a torch on our faces. We sold the phones that we stole from him.”

Apart from Adedeji, other suspects paraded at the command are Adeniran Oladapo, 31; Kareem Isiaka, 43; and Adedeji Sodiq, 20.

While Adedeji was a member of the three-man gang that killed the lawmaker, Oladapo, Isiaka and Sodiq were accused of buying the deceased’s Samsung mobile phones from the suspected killers.

According to the outgoing Commissioner of Police in the state, Leye Oyebade, Isiaka helped in removing the anti-theft device that was installed in the mobile phones.

He said the police had launched a manhunt for three other suspects who were on the run. He gave their names as Abbey, Kola Mission, and Yusuf Ikire.

Oyebade said Oladapo was arrested in July with one of Aremu’s mobile phones, adding that his confessional statement led to the arrest of three other suspects.

He said, “Adedeji confessed to being a member of the four-man gang that robbed and killed the deceased in front of his house. As robbers, their intention was to rob him.

“The suspect confessed that he was given N40,000 as his share of the money stolen from the deceased. The arrest of the suspects and the subsequent confession have refuted the claim that the killing was politically motivated.”

-The Punch