Security & Crime
Ogun: Female manager, husband allegedly abduct employer, kill him after collecting N15m
A woman, Okereke Olufunmilayo, who was the Manager at a building materials store, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and killing her employer, Otunba Abayomi Ajayi Smith, the Director of Rolak Hotel Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
Olufunmilayo was said to have perpetrated the act with the aid of her husband, Larry Adebayo Adewumi and one Adebowale Sanni.
According to DAILY POST, the hotelier was kidnapped on September 28, 2020, around about 7:30 am, at Anifowose Estate Igbeba, Ijebu-Ode by some gunmen.
He was killed by his abductors despite the N15 million ransom paid to them by his family.
Since then, police operatives have not given up in their efforts to unravel those behind the abduction and killing of the hotelier.
According to the Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the efforts of the SP Taiwo Opadiran-led anti-kidnapping team were successful in September this year, when they got wind of plans by the same gang to kidnap the wife and son of their slain victim, Smith.
As the team embarked on technical surveillance for the suspects, one of them, 55-year-old Adebowale Sanni, was reportedly traced to Ikeji Arakeji in Osun State, where he was promptly apprehended.
On interrogation, Oyeyemi said Sanni confessed being on the trail of Mrs Olusola Roseline Ajayi, on the order of Larry Adebayo Adewumi the ring leader, whose wife, Olufunmilayo was an employee of Otunba Ajayi.
“He confessed further that it was Larry who described the location of the victim’s hotel and his other business outfits to him with instruction that if they succeeded in kidnapping the woman and her son, the two of them must be killed after collecting ransom in order not to leave any traces, just as they did to her husband two years ago,” Oyeyemi stated.
His confession, it was learnt, led to the arrest of Olufunmilayo and her husband.
According to Oyeyemi, Larry, an indigene of Ilesha Osun State, was once a fraudster before he moved into full-time kidnapping business.
“His modus operandi was to scout for a rich victim, after which he will mobilize the gang working for him to go after such a person,” Oyeyemi explained.
The said Larry was reported to have got full information about the late Otunba Ajayi through Olufunmilayo, who was the deceased’s Manager.
Police investigation has revealed that Larry has two bank accounts, “where he used to keep money realized from his criminal activities.”
Oyeyemi disclosed that the suspect has a Jaiz Bank account number, 0010913206, with the sum of N34,953,455. His Access Bank account also has a sum of N4,576,846.
It was gathered that a 2014 model Toyota Highlander was also recovered from him.
While commending the police team, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Lanre Bankole, directed that other members of the gang be hunted for and brought to book, directing that the suspects be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.
A 30-year-old man, Ofobuike Damian, has appeared before an Abakaliki magistrates’ court 2 for stabbing his aged mother to death.
Damian, whose address was not provided, pleaded guilty to a count of murder.
The Prosecutor, Mr. David Njoku, Senior State Council, told the court that Damian committed the offences on March 19, 2026, at Ohatekwe, Ukawu, in the Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi.
Njoku said the defendant caused the death of his mother, Mrs. Onyema Damian, by stabbing her with a knife in the back.
He noted that the offence was punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 33 vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State, 2009.
The defendant, who had no legal representation, told the court that he killed his mother for refusing to bathe him.
“I don’t know what really happened, but I can remember that I killed her over her refusal to bathe me,” he told the court.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr. Chinedu Agama, ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional centre, as the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
Agama ordered that the case file and exhibits be forwarded to the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.
He, therefore, adjourned the matter to April 9.
Tragedy struck in Kano yesterday when a 30-year-old man, identified as Mutawakilu Ibrahim, allegedly stabbed his grandparents, Muhammad Dansokoto and Hadiza Tasidi, to death following an altercation over food.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Kano State Police Command, Abdullahi Haruna, said the suspect, believed to have been under the influence of intoxicants, used a knife to stab both victims multiple times, inflicting severe injuries.
The victims were rushed to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, where medical personnel confirmed them dead. Their corpses were later released to their relatives for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
According to the police statement: “On September 25, 2025, at about 9:30 a.m., a resident of Kofar Dawanau Quarters reported that one Mutawakilu Ibrahim, aged 30, had a quarrel with his grandparents, Muhammad Dansokoto, aged 75, and Hadiza Tasidi, aged 65, over a food-related disagreement.
“During the altercation, the suspect allegedly used a knife to stab both victims in various parts of their bodies, causing severe injuries. The suspect, suspected to be under the influence of intoxicants, has since been arrested.”
Haruna added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Homicide Section, for discreet investigation.
He assured that the suspect would be charged to court upon completion of investigations.
A missing teenager, Master Lawal Wahab, 16, has been found dead with his heart, wrist and genitals harvested by persons suspected to be ritualists.
The deceased, until his mysterious disappearance, had been staying with his grandmother, before he was declared missing by his father, Mr. Lawal Olumide.
However, his lifeless and decomposed body was discovered along the Old Express Road, Igbile-Ijebu on July 23rd, 2025 with his remains severely mutilated.
The Ogun Police Command, which confirmed the incident, said it is investigating case, suspecting to be a ritual murder.
The spokesperson of the command, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Omolola Odutola, said officers from Omu-Ijebu Division have arrested suspects identified as Salawu Omikansola (25 years) ‘m’, Serefusi Agemo ‘m’, and others in connection with the murder.
Odutola said one of the suspects had made a voluntary confessional statement, which was also recorded on video.
According to her, investigation revealed that the boy’s head, both wrists, heart, and genitals had been gruesomely removed—suggesting ritualistic motives.
The police spokesperson, however, added that the deceased has been buried in accordance with Islamic rites due to the state of the remains.
He said: “The case file, alongside exhibits, is being prepared for immediate transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, for further discreet investigation. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing accomplices.
“The Ogun State Police Command condemns this heinous act and assures the public that justice will be pursued to its logical conclusion.
“We urge citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the nearest police formation.”
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