Ogun Police Arrest Suspected Killers of Popular Hotelier

Men of the Ogun state police command have arrested Larry Adewumi and his wife Okereke Olufunmilayo with one Adebowale Sanni over the abduction and killing of a popular hotelier, Otunba Abayomi Ajayi, in Ijebu-Ode. 

According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, the victim was kidnapped on the 28th of September 2020 at Anifowose Estate Igbeba, Ijebu ode by some gunmen. 

Mr Oyeyemi said that men of the anti-kidnapping unit were mobilized to commence the investigation. Still, all efforts to get the victim out of captivity proved abortive, despite the fact that the victim’s family paid a ransom of 15 million nairas to the abductors. 

Mr Oyeyemi further explained that efforts of the police yielded positive results in September this year, when they got wind of a plan by the hoodlums to kidnap the wife and son of Otunba Abayomi Ajayi, eventually, one of the suspects was traced to Ikeji Arakeji in Osun state and was apprehended. 

He said the suspect, Adebowale Sanni confessed to having been on the trail of Mrs Ajayi, the wife of their earlier victim, and on the order of Adebayo Adewumi the ring leader, whose wife Olufunmilayo happened to be an employee of Otunba Ajayi Smith.

The PPRO said the suspect 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 traces, just as they did to her husband two years ago. 

The police spokesperson added that the confession led to the arrest of Larry’s wife who was a manager at the victim’s building materials shop while Larry was arrested three days after.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Lanre Bankole, who commended his men for following the suspects until they were arrested, directed that other gang members should be brought to book while the suspects be charged to court as soon as the investigation was concluded.

Olajumoke Idowu