Police in Ogun have unravelled the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of a 45-year-old housewife, Memunat Akinde and a motorcyclist, Ibikunle Ajose.
The housewife and motorcyclist went missing since October 1, 2020 when the woman, who was a fish seller, left her house at Idoleyin area of Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area to a nearby market to buy fish.
She had hired the motorcyclist to take her to market. But both of them never returned home since then.
The woman’s husband later lodged a complaint with the police at the Ado-Odo Divisional headquarters.
The case was later transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department on the orders of the state Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, who gave the team a matching order to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the two persons within the shortest possible period.
The team then embarked on an intelligence and technical based investigation.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said in a statement on Wednesday that the team’s efforts paid off when one of the suspects, Okediran Monsuru, was traced to Badagry and apprehended.
The PPRO said the Monsuru’s arrest led to the apprehension of three others namely: Ajaoba Monday, Akewusola Wajud and Nupo Pona.
He said that the four suspects confessed that they were working for a notorious land grabber, who they simply identified as” Lebo.”
Oyeyemi said that the arrested suspects confessed that they accosted the two victims along the road at Abisoye village, where they abducted them to an uncompleted building in a bushy area, tied their hands and legs before they called their principal on phone to inform him that they had succeeded in getting two victims.
The police spokesman said the suspects further confessed that when the said Lebo came, he ordered them to slaughter the two victims.
According to the suspects, Okediran Monsuru, Ajaoba Monday and Akewusola Wajud held the victims down while Nupo Pona slaughtered them with a sharp cutlass.
After killing the two victims, the fifth suspect, Dasu Sunday, who is a herbalist, was invited and when he arrived, they cut the bodies of the two victims into pieces and loaded their parts in a sack brought by the herbalist, who took them away for money making rituals.
The head of the late woman was recovered at the herbalist’s shrine.
The five suspects, Okediran Monsuru, Ajaoba Monday, Akewusola Wajud, Nupo Pona and Dasu Sunday, are all in police custody while a serious manhunt has been launched for their fleeing principal, simply known as “Lebo”.
State Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, who commended the investigating team for their determination and resilience in bringing the culprits to book, has directed that the arrested suspects be charged to court without further delay while the fleeing ones are to be hunted for and fished out.