FROM: Dappa Maharajah .
BARELY 48 hours after the Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Olumide Odimayo died in kidnappers’ den, the state police command paraded eight suspects including a 45 year old palm wine tapper, Mr. Francis Bekewei and his son, David Seimiyengha.
Others were: Fikesei Inuesokan (26), Ekan Roman, a 43 year old Togolese and bricklayer working in the victim’s house, three secondary school students: Gbamila Success, Bodidi Idowu, Saturday Amos; and Ijanboh Kehinde.
The Commissioner for Police, Mrs Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison described the June 16 2017 incident, which led to the death of the victim four days after as sad and unfortunate.
Ibifuro-Harrison, who lauded the people of Igbotu in Ese-Odo council for their cooperation with the police, disclosed that the police swung into action immediately the Friday abduction was reported, leading to the arrests of eight suspects.
The police boss added that the suspects were arrested with an AK49 and 21 rounds of live ammunition by detectives with the support of local vigilantes.
“It is good to know whom your neighbours are, it is good to be security conscious; it is good to work with the police so that our society can be peaceful and crime-free.”
According to her, the suspects are more than fifteen and the police was working hard to arrest them and prosecute them accordingly.
“The body of the hostage was later found lifeless in the Creek of Ajagba, the corpse was deposited at hospital morgue for autopsy.”
The Togolese, Roman, who was hired by the deceased to work in his house since March, said he contacted Inuesokan for his service but he didn’t show up.
Inuesokan, a timber dealer, said he contacted others and they hatched the plan to kidnap the APC chieftain, though he mentioned that he was betrayed and left behind during the operation.
He, however, iterated that the Togolese, Roman, who was seconded to the deceased after he built the house of the Ahaba of Ajagba, Oba Thomas Adebayo, was not part of the operation.
David, whom the police found the AK49 in his possession, told The Guardian that they didn’t plan to kill the victim but to get ransom from him.
He revealed that they had to drop late Odimayo in the river so as to have easy escape route when the police and vigilante group were closing hard on them.
Meanwhile, there was speculation that the death of Odimayo was a retaliation to the death of one of the kidnappers, who was brutally murdered by the youths and vigilante when trying to rescue the deceased.
