Lagos State Police Command has arrested the former Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Joko Pelumi , over alleged murder of a police officer, DSP Akingboju Akindele.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Command, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, while parading some suspects at the Police Officers Wives Association Secretariat on Oduduwa Street, Ikeja, said the police also arrested 48 others in connection with the dastardly act.
The former Speaker, Pelumi, is being detained and investigated at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.
Edgal said on October 27, 2018, a team of policemen attached to the Anti- cultism unit went to Area ‘N’ Ijede to raid the hideouts of cultists. He disclosed that they had succeeded in making the arrest of the principal actors but unfortunately as they were leaving the scene, unknown to the policemen, some cultists had laid ambush for them.
The police commissioner alleged that the cultists suddenly opened fire on the police team, killing DSP Akindele after which they snatched his rifle.
Edgal said investigation into the murder of the police officer led to the arrest of 49 suspects, including Pelumi.
The police boss said there was an information that the house of Pelumi was where cultists usually gathered to do their meetings. He said the suspects were arrested in his premises.
Pelumi was brought to the parade ground but the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Panti, Mrs Yetunde Alonge, later decided not to expose him to the press as she ordered him to alight from the commercial mini- bus that brought them to the parade ground to his official car and whisked him away, leaving behind six other suspects allegedly involved in the matter.
When the six suspects were brought out before journalists , they protested that it was an injustice, screaming, “This is injustice. Police, this is injustice. Where’s the Honourable Speaker? Why should you people carry him back and want us to face the press?” they querried.
When a rifle the police alleged to be the one the suspects snatched from slain DSP Akindele was brought, the suspects screamed again, “No! No!! It’s a lie! We don’t know anything about this gun. Please take the gun away from us because we don’t know anything about it.”
