BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has ordered the remand of five young men for allegedly killing four persons and robbing others of their money and other belongings.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Fatoba Temitope, informed the court that the five accused persons, namely Adamo Aliyu, 24; Damilola Kayode, 22; Yusuf Idris, 22; Odewumi Sodiq, 26; Adeshina Ayomide, 38; and others now at large, committed the offence in Ikire town.
Fatai Atanda, aged 55, a manager at Mobil Filling Station, Ikire, was named as one of the victims of crime. He reportedly died at the petrol station when hit with a spanner by the suspects.
The police prosecutor said that the suspects were arrested by security operatives, including some hunters and forest guards in the state.
Yemisi Opalola, the police spokesperson in the state, said that the suspects invaded the petrol station, killed the manager and also robbed the deceased and other workers.
According to Opalola, after killing the station manager, the suspects searched his office and carted away the sum of N100, 000. She stated that one of the suspects, Adamo Aliyu, in his confessional statement said that he, alongside others, carried out the operation on August 23.
The PPRO explained that following the occurrence, an employee of the filling station, Ayomide Adeshina, aged 38, reportedly defrauded his employer of the sum of N2.1 million.
It will be recalled that the suspects, when paraded at the Osun State Police Command, Oke-Fia, Osogbo, said that the operation was carried out to cover the N2.1 million fraud allegedly committed by Adeshina. They said that they hit the station manager on the head with a spanner, thereby leading to his death.
Aliyu said that “Idris and I have been engaging in armed robbery from our childhood. Whenever we want to go for an operation, I used to smoke Indian hemp. We were initially hired to kill the petrol station manager and the person paid us N250, 000. We went there immediately and murdered him.
“I held an axe and a stick while the other person held a spanner. When we entered his office, my friend hit the spanner on the manager’s head; we left him in the pool of blood. I searched his office and found a bag containing N250, 000. We also stole a motorcycle.”
The suspect stated that he used his share of the money stolen during the operation to buy alcoholic drinks and Indian hemp.
The police prosecutor gave the names of two other persons that were killed during the incident simply as Gbolahan and Kabiru. However, the name of the fourth person was not mentioned.
According to Temitope, the defendants conspired, armed themselves with guns and other dangerous weapons, and robbed Atanda of the sum of N100, 000. They also robbed one Adeyinka Musafau of one Infinix X5 mobile and the cash sum of N300, 000.
The charge brought against them partly read that “Adamo Aliyu, Damilola Kayode, Yusuf Idris, Odewumi Sodiq, Adesina Adesina Ayomide, and others now at large, on or about August 23, 2022, at about 6am at Mobil Petrol Filling Station, Ikire, Osun State, in the Osogbo Magisterial District, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit armed robbery.
“You, Adeshina Ayomide, between the month of January and August 17, 2022, at the same place, in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did with intent to defraud, unlawfully obtain the sum of N2,170,000 from customers of Mobil Filling Station, belonging to Alhaji Ademola Lasisi, under the pretence of remitting the same into bank account, a pretence you knew to be false.
“You, Adeshina Ayomide, did steal the sum of N2, 170,000 belonging to Alhaji Ademola Lasisi.”
The accused persons were said to have committed offences contrary to Section 6(b) and punishable under sections 1(1) and 1(1)(2)(a)(b) of the Robbery and Forearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap R 11, Volume 14, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
They were also alleged to have committed offences contrary to and punishable under Section 324, 319(1), 419, and 390(6)(9) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II, Laws of Osun State, 2002.
The defendants pleaded but their prayers were not taken.
Magistrate A. K. Ajala ordered that the five accused persons should be remanded at the Ilesa Correctional Centre.
