*Appeals to IGP to investigate, arrest culprits

By Evelyn Usman

Members of the Onosa royal  family of  Odo Onosa and Abatiwa, a boundary community between Lagos and Ogun states have raised the alarm over plans by some persons to cover up a murder case under investigation at the Ogun State Police command.

They have therefore called on the intervention of the  Inspector-General of Police, IGP Alkali Baba , with a view to ensuring a discreet investigation that would lead to the arrest of perpetrators of the murder.

The family in a press conference in Lagos yesterday, recalled how a man (names withheld) led some armed thugs to their community  on March 10,2023, in a bid to forcefully take over their  expanse of land, leaving in their trail the death of three persons: Kamoru Anifowose , Akibu Akinisiku and Kajubo Adeola.

Head of the family , Alhaji Moshood Bello, told journalists that the case was reported at the Ogun State Police Command where investigation began.

He however expressed shock that the leader of the thugs introduced a new twist to the whole matter by accusing five members of his family of having a hand in the  killing of a policeman five weeks ago, at Emuren junction, on Itokin road, Ikorodu area of Lagos.

The five  accused persons whose identities he gave as: Shakiru Shittu, Taofeek Aluko, Sola Sonaike, Adekunle Onasanya and Muri Aluko, according to him, were being detained by the Police in Lagos.

According to the 86-year-old man, “ The allegations against those arrested are lies. They were not arrested by the Police, neither were they arrested on the day the policeman was killed.  They were just going on their own, when they were picked one after the other by members of the gang that invaded our community. They waited for our people at Imota junction and handed them to the Police. This is just a ploy to cover up the murder charge against the leader of the gang that invaded our community and killed our children. It is also a plot to divert police attention. The policeman that was killed had nothing to do with the matter at hand , neither was he investigating it. “

Also speaking, the family’s lawyer, Barr..Ayodeji Adekunle, said, “We demand a holistic investigation into this matter. The initial matter of the invasion and murder of three persons was reported to the Inspector General of Police via a petition and he promptly assigned the investigation to the Ogun state command. Unfortunately, till date, the Ogun state command has not commenced investigation into the matter.

“However, we have it on good authority that the culprits are already aware that there is a petition for murder pending against them and have now decided to fight back by giving the police in Lagos false information about our clients who are the complainants in the murder case. One of the strategies that these disgruntled elements are using is to go on the social media, where they alleged that our clients are criminals who killed Policemen and stole their guns.

“ The whole objective of the negative actions of this deadly group is to get our client arrested and incarcerated so that the murder case against them in Ogun state will not see the light of the day”.

However, sources at the Lagos State Police Command confirmed that the suspects arrested in connection with the murder of an assistant Superintendent of Police were being interrogated .