Police arrest one of the suspected killers of Ekiti monarchs

Police arrest suspected killer of Ekiti monarchs

ONE of the gunmen suspected to have been involved in the killing of two traditional rulers in Oke-Ako axis of Ekiti State last Monday has been arrested by security operatives.

During the attack, the two royal fathers, the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsakin and the Olumojo of Imojo-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Olatunde Olusola, were killed by the bandits while the Alara of Ara (Ikole), Oba Sunday Adebayo Fatoba, escaped narrowly.

The suspect, identified as Alhaji Babusa`, who spoke with newsmen after he was paraded alongside other criminals in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on Sunday, confessed to be among the suspects who attacked the traditional rulers.

He explained that five of them took part in the attack, adding that he was drafted into the operation by the other suspects who threatened to kill him when they accosted him in the forest while with his herds.

Baboba, who addressed newsmen in Yoruba language, said: “We were five who came to the road for the operation. I am a herdsman and I had my cows in the bush. The other four threatened to shoot me if I did not join them in the operation.

“They brought the ammunition as I was going about in the bush with my cows when they said I should join and I

“When we were in the bush, we saw the vehicle conveying the traditional rulers from a distance and we jumped on the road.

“We didn’t plan to kill the two traditional rulers but I don’t know what happened; my friends shot them and we ran away. They left the bush immediately.

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“They have been kidnapping people for ransom, I joined them once for it and they gave me N5,000 from the money they collected.

“It was when I came to town from the bush to buy garri that I was arrested by security operatives.”

Addressing journalists on the success, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dare Ogundare, said it took the combined efforts of security agencies in the state to apprehend the suspect.

He said the suspect had confessed to the crime, while efforts were on to apprehend his accomplices.

The AIG, who said no arrest was made during the release operation of the abducted school pupils and their teachers, however, informed newsmen that some suspects had been arrested at Oke-Osun, in Ikere-Ekiti, Igbo Okah and Iju-Ikere boundary forest.

On the report of ransom to secure the release of the Emure abductees, Ogundare said the police would never encourage such payment, commending the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Ekiti State governor’s intervention in the quick release of the abductees.

Ogundare, who was the commissioner of police in the state until last week’s promotion to the rank of AIG, said efforts were being made to arrest the kidnappers of the school pupils and their teachers.

Police arrest suspected killer of Ekiti monarchs