The Pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has called on the Nigeria Police not to cover up the murder of the frontline trado-medical specialist, Alhaji Fatai Yusuf, aka Oko Oloyun, along Eruwa-Igbo Ora highway on Thursday.

The group in a statement on Friday by its spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, asked the police not to attempt to cover up this murder as it had done in the past.

“Smarting from the abandoned investigation into the July 12, 2019 murder of Mrs Funke Olakunrin’s, we urge the police not to attempt another cover – up on this murder”.

The group, according to Odumakin, hinged its decision on the statement hurriedly issued by the police “suggesting a desperate attempt to divert attention from the fact that the Eruwa-Igbo Ora route on which he was killed is a notorious axis of Fulani bandits.

“The police rushing to the press unprofessionally to say he discovered fraud in his office before the incident without carrying out any investigation may foreclose other possible leads. Every life of a human being is precious to us and this is another test to the capacity of the Nigerian police seriously challenged at the moment”.

While condemning the murder of Yusuf, Afenifere stressed that the brutal murder of Oko Oloyun represents the continued sad and long story of insecurity in Yoruba land.

“We pray for the repose of the soul of the gentleman and we promise to take keen interest in the investigations into the dastardly act”, the statement added.

The trado-medical practitioner was said to be on his way from an outing when the gunmen shot at his vehicle along Eruwa-Igboora Road in the Ibarapa Central area of Oyo State.

While confirming the incident, Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Gbenga Fadeyi, said the state Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, had ordered an investigation into the incident.

Yusuf’s corpse has since been deposited in the Igbo-Ora General Hospital’s mortuary.

“Gunmen attacked his vehicle on the Eruwa-Igboora Road in Ibarapa Central; they shot at his vehicle and he was hit by a bullet. The man’s corpse has been deposited in the Igbo-Ora General Hospital,” Fadeyi said.

The Oyo Police Command says it has commenced investigation into the murder and that it probably has a clue on why he was gunned down.

In a statement made available to the public on Friday, the state Police Command disclosed that two police escorts attached to the late businessman and some members of his staff are in custody for interrogation.

The interrogation, according to the police, followed a tip off on an alleged fraud perpetrated recently in Oko Oloyun’s Lagos office.

“Some of the staff and his two (2) Police escorts are being questioned by a team of crack detectives from the homicide section of State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID Iyaganku, Ibadan with a view to finding and apprehending the fleeing suspects who wrecked the heinous act,” Fadeyi said in the statement.

Fadeyi said the deceased may have been killed due to an alleged book-keeping fraud he detected in his Lagos office, adding that the ‘fraud’ he found out “allegedly led to the burning/destruction of some financial/bookkeeping records.”

“In addition to other possible motives, a plausible nexus is therefore being suspected between the fire incident and the attack on the deceased,” Fadeyi explained.

The police spokesman however appealed to members of the public with credible information on Oko Oloyun’s death to come forward.