Murder of Gulder Ultimate Search winner: Police arrest six
LAGOS State Police Commissioner, Imohimi Edgal, yesterday, said the state Command, in the last one week, arrested six persons over the killing of Hector Jobarteh, winner of third edition, Guilder Ultimate Search, GUS. They were among five suspected robbers, five suspected kidnappers, three suspected cultists paraded alongside a dog at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja.
The arrests were made between September 6 and 13, following efforts of men and officers of the Command. Some of the suspects’ names were given as Kazeem, Zano, Rilwan, Adekunle, Adekanbi, Ogunade and Babatunde. Addressing newsmen, Edgal explained that one suspected robber lost his life in a gun battle with operatives of the Command, noting that six ammunition, six stolen vehicles, one motorcycle, substances suspected to be cocaine, heroin and Indian hemp were recovered. He said the recovered arms and ammunition included one berretta pistol, five locally-made pistols, and 16 live cartridges.
It will be recalled that Hector, 38, was shot dead at his Oko-Oba residence on September 4, shortly after returning from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, where he went to pick up a sibling. Edgal, while confirming the arrest of six suspects in connection with the death of Hector, said one of the suspects arrested was a driver with a transport firm (name withheld) who conveyed the suspected killers, while the others were found with the victim’s cell phone. He noted that one of the suspects was still at large and that efforts were on to arrest him, giving the names of the arrested suspects as Igana, 28; John, 26; Adekunle, 19; Madu, 24; Adeyemi, 20, and Adekunle, 25.
According to the Police boss, “the driver that conveyed the killers of Hector and one of the killers have been arrested. The phone belonging to Hector, which was stolen from him after his murder, has been recovered. “Five other suspects in connection with the case have also been arrested.”
The driver’s story One of the suspects, Igana, the driver, said he had driven some men, who threatened him with a gun, to Abeokuta but never knew that they were killers. His words:
“I was looking for an Android phone when my brother, Valentine, linked me with one JK. It was JK that called me to drive them to Yaba from Cement and I was paid N8,000, after I had charged them N10,000. “The next day, JK called me again to take them to Abeokuta and I charged them N20,000. On the way, we stopped at Sango and two other men joined us. “We later stopped by at a nearby bush and JK ordered one of the men to bring out a nylon bag which had a gun inside. That was when I tried running away, but I was threatened and ordered back into the car. “I was later arrested through my younger brother, who had gone to sell a stolen phone later identified as the victim’s phone.” I followed my uncle—Suspect On his part, Adekunle said, he followed his “uncle to Computer Village to sell the deceased phone after Sallah, and I was given N1,000 as a gift from my uncle. “That is the only thing I know about the incident.
I was not part of those who went to the deceased house.” The person who sold the deceased’s phone, Madu, claimed his is an engineer, saying they brought the phone to him to work on and he charged them N7,500. He then assisted to resell the phone to one Abdulrasheed. On his part, another suspect, John, claimed that he did not know anything about the robbery operation, saying he only needed an android phone for his personal use. He said:
“It was someone who introduced me to Madu at the Computer Village. After negotiation, I bought the phone from him. “The next thing was I saw Police, who came to arrest me, at my house at Ojodu Berger. I don’t even know how they located my house. I don’t know anything about the phone. I only bought it from Madu.”
Vanguard
