Twelve people have been arrested by Nigeria Police Force, Ondo State Command, for a variety of offenses around the state, including alleged murder, armed robbery, arson, theft, and burglary.
The arrests, according to state Commissioner of Police Abayomi Oladipo, who paraded the criminals at the Command headquarters in Akure, are part of the force’s notable progress in the state’s war against crime over the past month.
The suspects, according to Oladipo, include Monday Chukwu, 34, of Akintola village in the state’s Odigbo region, who is accused of fatally stabbing 30-year-old Kefa Ofando over N2,000.
He said: “On September 20, 2024, operatives of the Ondo State Police Command attached to the Odigbo Divisional Police Headquarters, acting on a complaint, swiftly responded and arrested one Monday Chukwu, a 34-year-old resident of Akintola village in the Odigbo area of the state. The suspect allegedly stabbed one Kefa Ofando, 30, to death.
“Discrete investigation revealed that the deceased had borrowed the suspect the sum of two thousand naira, which, when demanded a few days later, led to an argument during which the suspect stabbed the victim with scissors on his neck. Upon arrival at the scene, crime scene experts recovered a pair of scissors, while a medical practitioner confirmed Kefa Ofando dead.”
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In particular, Oladipo reported that the police had apprehended the sought suspect in the murder of the late Mrs. Debbie Olakunbi Monsurat Iyabo Adene (Nee Oyeneye), the President/Chief Executive Officer of Kitchen County, who was brutally killed at her Akure house.
“The Ondo State Police Command, in its relentless pursuit of justice regarding the murder of Mrs. Adeniyi Iyabode, has arrested one Precious Kolawole, a 16-year-old secondary school student, who was at large. It would be recalled that painstaking investigations had earlier led to the arrest of his accomplice, one Philip Emmanuel, aged 17 years, who in a voluntary statement expressed their individual degrees of involvement in the dastardly act.
“The first suspect, Precious Kolawole, claimed to have heard Mrs. Adeniyi talking about receiving a substantial amount of money through her bank account, and on the heels of this, recruited Philip Emmanuel, the second suspect, to jointly murder the victim gruesomely.
“Clinical investigation revealed knife wounds inflicted by Philip Emmanuel and machete cuts by Precious Kolawole, resulting in the death of the victim. It was also gathered that the victim successfully withdrew the sum of thirty thousand naira from her account via her ATM card.
“While the suspect is still in custody and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation, it is pertinent to reiterate that safety measures like observing restraint in monetary discussions around domestic staff, concealing one’s ATM PIN, and installing CCTV surveillance cameras are necessary to optimise personal safety and security.”
“On September 18, 2024, a case of suspected arson was reported against one Renan Niju of Lapepe, Bolorunduro,” the CP said in reference to the arrest of the accused arsonist. Later, the complainant claimed that a chieftaincy struggle in the village was the reason behind the burning of his property, a school. The alleged arsonist returned to the complainant’s property at midnight a few days later.
“However, he ran out of luck, as local vigilantes working in concert with the police for intelligence gathering in the area, apprehended him before he could carry out his dastardly acts.
“The following were recovered from the suspect upon his arrest: a lighter, a liquid substance suspected to be fuel, weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, a Nigerian flag, and a handcuff key. The suspect will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
“While the sole motive of these criminal action is yet to be unraveled, the existence of such criminal-minded elements in the society calls for a higher level of vigilance and security consciousness. Members of the public are urged to take extra measures to ensure that their personal properties are not left unattended and unpoliced.”
For stealing, he said, on September 6, 2024, operatives of the Command attached to the Idanre Divisional headquarters, acting on a tip-off, apprehended the duo of Ifeanyi Obiefunna, 36, and Joseph Agwu, 43.
“Investigation revealed that the duo specialize in stealing vehicle brain boxes, tapping glasses, and other valuables from people’s vehicles, and are part of a complex vehicle theft and vandalism syndicate. Painstaking effort later led to the arrest of Obinna Uyammadu, 32, and Onyeka Okoye, aged 38 years, who are also members of the syndicate.
“One of the suspects, Joseph Agwu, who lives in Akure, confirmed that he sells second-hand wares, popularly known as Okrika, and serves as the informant to notify other suspects to come to the state to operate and return to Lagos,” he said.
For attempted robbery, Oladipo said: “On September 17, 2024, at about 0100hours, a group of brigands armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons attacked a Dangote truck driver along Ago-idogun Bridge via Kajola/Ore expressway while he was trying to fix the damaged truck loaded with 900 bags of cement. The robbers inflicted injuries on the driver’s face during the operation and later fled into a nearby bush.
“Upon receipt of this information, operatives of the Command attached to the Kajola Divisional Police Headquarters swiftly moved in and combed the bush, which later led to the arrest of one Chijioke Agbon, aged 30 years, a member of the syndicate. Investigation is ongoing to unveil the identities and apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.”
