“So, I shot at him, and before I knew it, Lucky also fired shots, it hit the man and he fell. My partner; Segun, and I decided to put him in the back of the seat and we drove off. He was still breathing, but he was still shouting.”
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Although Senator Olamilekan Adeola Solomon Yayi believes one of his aides, Adeniyi Sanni, was killed a military syndicate in Lagos, some civilian suspects have owned up to committing the crime.
The state Police Command had arrested the suspects including 43-year-old Lagosian, Fred Okuno; 33-year-old Lucky Michael from Delta State, and 26-year-old Adedigba Segun from Ibadan, Oyo State.
Confirming the arrests of the suspects while parading them before journalists on Monday at the Command’s headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, the state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, said their arrest was made possible through a diligent investigation that was carried out by the police.
Owohunwa said, “Through painstaking intelligence and investigative activities which brought out the best in the capacity of Lagos Police Command, we have succeeded in arresting the syndicate of the robbery and murder. The three suspects directly involved in the robbery and murder were arrested with three firearms, including the killer weapon, recovered.”
PUNCH Metro reports that the syndicate is suspected to be working for a foreign criminal gang, headed by one “Alhaji,” who targets imported fairly used cars.
Speaking during the parade, the suspects, who confessed to the killing of the aide, said the act was mistakenly done.
One of the suspects, Lucky, who is an ex-inmate, said the slain aide was not their target, but he was stopped because he was driving a “Tokunbo” (imported fairly used car).
“I stopped the car because it had no number plate. I shot at him twice because he was shouting. I didn’t plan to shoot the man, the gun fired by itself,” Lucky said.
Another suspect, Okuno, who narrated what transpired, also said their gang tried to make the bleeding senator’s aide get help but it was too late.
Okuno said, “On August 5, 2023, when the incident happened, it was around midnight, in the Ojodu Berger area. One of us, who was ahead of us, gave a signal that a car was coming with no number plate. It was a black Toyota Camry, a 2017 model. Lucky was putting on a (military) camouflage uniform, and holding a torch.
“I told him that a car was coming with no number plate. He (Lucky) stopped the car on the other side. I ran down to join him. I asked the man (slain aide) for the document of the car. The man was on call talking but I don’t know who exactly he was talking to, maybe his wife or his family.
“He (senator’s aide) said the document was right inside the car. Then the man said, ‘What else do you guys want again? I’ve given you guys everything you wanted.’ He started shouting for help, he pulled out and was screaming ‘Thief’. He wanted to raise the alarm.
“So, I shot at him, and before I knew it, Lucky also fired shots, it hit the man and he fell. My partner; Segun, and I decided to put him in the back of the seat and we drove off. He was still breathing, but he was still shouting.
The wife of the deceased was said to have been contacted later by passersby through the next-of-kin phone number on her husband’s driver’s licence that his body was dumped around the Toyota Bus-stop in Oshodi, Lagos with gunshot wounds.
