Follow Us on Google
Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The suspected mastermind of the gruesome murder of the Fatinoye couple on January 1, 2023, at the residence in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, Lekan Adekambi, has revealed why he led two others to carry out the dastard act.
Adekambi, who was paraded alongside his accomplices, his mum and girlfriend, at the Eleweran Police Headquarters of Ogun State, on Friday, said he went there to rob the couple since they refused to give him a pay raise as their driver as well as their failure to give me a loan to purchase a motorcycle.
The late couple, Kehinde and Bukola Fatinoye, were on the new year day, slaughtered and set ablaze at their residence shortly after they returned from the cross over service. Mr. Fatinoye was staff at the Central Bank of Nigeria, while Mrs. Fatinoye was working with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
Their only son and an adopted child, Oreoluwa Fatinoye and Felix Olorunyomi, were later tied and thrown into the Ogun River in the Adigbe Area of the capital city, by suspects.
While Felix was lucky and swam out alive and escaped, Oreoluwa lost his life and his decomposing body was recovered two days later.
Lekan, having been identified by Felix as the leader of the assailants, was arrested by the police, but later escaped from the police custody.
Narrating how he and two other suspects – Ahmed Odetola a.k.a Akamo and Waheed Adeniyi a.ka. Koffi – carried out the robbery and murder, Lekan, whose cognomen is Koroba, told Saturday Sun that he scaled the fence into the building and opened the gate for others, around 11p.m on the fateful day.
He added that he was able to take the Alsatian guard dog into the cage because the animal was already familiar with him being the one feeding it everyday.
According to him, the three of them were already laying in ambush for the couple inside the house and pounced on them when they returned from the church.
Lekan, who disclosed that he wore a mask in order to hide his identity, explained further that the couple was asked to transfer money to them and a sum of N200,000 was transferred into a Kuda Bank account of Ahmed, by Mr. Fatinoye
“When my boss transferred the money, we demanded for a higher sum and he tried to transfer another N1m but the amount could be taken into the account, it was then I gave him my account number. When the transaction was being carried out, my name popped up as the beneficiary and he discovered that I was among the attackers.
“This discovery made us decide to kill them. I used a sledge hammer to hit Mrs. Fatinoye on the head, while Adeniyi alias Koffi, took a knife from the kitchen and slit the throat of the husband. It was at this time, that Oreoluwa and Felix returned home from the church. We pounced on them, tied them with rope and drove to Ogun River and threw them in. The remains of the couple were set ablaze in the living room upstairs in order to cover our tracks”, Lekan narrated.
Briefing newsmen earlier, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said that Lekan who had escaped from the police hospital at Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, on January 2, after he feigned illness while in the police custody, was arrested at his hideout somewhere in Abeokuta, January 21.
According to him, the suspect, who worked for the deceased for five years, confessed to being the mastermind of the crime. He added that his mum was arrested for shielding his whereabouts despite that she knew, while the girlfriend helped him to buy a new phone and registered another SIM card for him, in her own name.
Oyeyemi, however, said that the duo of Ahmed and Waheed were traced to the hideout in Ogere-Remo and apprehended by the police on February 9th. The PPRO further disclosed that the three suspects confessed to be members of the dreaded Aye Confraternity.
