It was gathered that the Okada man was beheaded and the suspects stole his motorcycle from him.
Parading the suspects on Wednesday, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, CP Victor Olaiya, identified the suspects as Peter Samuel, Jeremiah Tiozinda and Sunday Agbenke.
Items recovered include an Itel Android phone and the motorcycle.
Olaiya explained that on November 4, 2024, a report was received from the residents of Asunlere community, Oke-Oyi, Ilorin, Kwara State. Three men, namely Abdulrasheed Ola Sheu, Ismail Muhammed, and others, arrived at Oke-oyi Police Division to report the discovery of a headless body lying near a stream within the area.
He said upon receiving this report, detectives were swiftly dispatched to the scene.
“Photographic evidence was captured, revealing a significant mark of violence around the neck, indicating that the head was severed,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police said the body was subsequently evacuated and deposited at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital morgue, pending an autopsy.
“At the crime scene, detectives recovered an Itel Android phone, which was suspected to belong to one of the assailants, as well as a motorcycle believed to be the deceased’s property. Further search revealed that the deceased’s phone was also found on him,” he said.
He said detectives intensified efforts to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
According to Olaiya, “These efforts yielded results in the early hours of November 6, 2024, based on reliable intelligence, three suspects were apprehended at separate locations. The suspects, identified as Peter Samuel (M), Jeremiah Tiozinda (M) and Sunday Agbenke (M).”
He said the suspects confessed to committing the crime.
“Additionally, the recovered Android phone was confirmed to belong to suspect Peter Samuel, who was planning to flee from the state. During interrogation, the suspects revealed that they disposed of the victim’s severed head in a nearby river,” he said.
He said efforts were currently underway to recover the evidence.
“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for thorough investigation, Further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses,” he said, adding that the suspects will soon be arraigned in court.
Speaking with journalists, one of the suspects, Peter Samuel, confessed that he was contacted by the ringleader, Sunday Agbenke.
“I was called by Agbenke. He told me about an Okada rider who usually gave him rides had recently bought a new bike. He suggested we kill him and steal the bike,” Samuel said.
“He told me that after we stole the bike, we could sell it and make a lot of money. That’s how we got ourselves into this big trouble.
“When we tried to carry out the plan, we couldn’t take the bike because we encountered a vigilante group on our way. We abandoned the bike and ran into the bush.
“The Okada rider had taken us to Oloru. On our way back, one of my companions dropped his slipper. When I went to pick it up, my brother hit the rider on the head with a plank.
“The rider fell down, and I used a cutlass to behead him,” the suspect added.
