An armed robbery and murder suspect, identified simply as Adebayo, has confessed to killing a commercial motorcyclist, Tiamiyu Afeez, in Osun State and stealing his motorcycle.
The suspect was arrested by detectives attached to the Homicide Section of the Osun State Police Command on April 18, about two months after the incident occurred.
Police also recovered the deceased’s stolen Bajaj motorcycle from the suspect during the operation.
Confirming the arrest, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, said a relative of the deceased had reported at the A Division Police Station, Ede, on February 23 that Afeez, who left home on February 21 for his commercial motorcycle business, failed to return.
According to the police spokesperson, the family later received information that a police patrol team from Awo Division discovered the corpse of an unidentified man along the Ojo/Ara-Ejigbo road with his throat slit.
Ojelabi said the body was later identified as that of Afeez, after which the matter was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Osogbo, for further investigation.
He disclosed that intelligence-led investigation and technology analysis eventually led to the arrest of the suspect, while the stolen motorcycle was also recovered.
The police spokesperson further stated that the suspect confessed to luring the deceased to a deserted area along the Ara-Ejigbo axis before attacking him with a knife.
According to the police, the suspect admitted that he slit the victim’s throat while riding with him on the motorcycle and later escaped with the bike after disposing of the knife and the victim’s mobile phone.
Two ignition keys belonging to the motorcycle were also reportedly recovered from him.
Speaking during an interview, the 29-year-old suspect claimed he committed the crime over a grudge he had held against the deceased for about four years.
Adebayo, who described himself as an electrician from Ede, alleged that the deceased had once accused him of being involved in ritual killings and handed him over to the police during the cash scarcity period when he was on his way to queue at a bank in the early hours of the morning.
He claimed the deceased seized his phones and money during the incident and never returned them, despite repeated demands after he was released by the police.
The suspect said he later met Afeez again earlier this year during Ramadan and pretended to reconcile with him while secretly planning revenge.
According to him, he collected the victim’s phone number and later contacted him for a ride to a bushy area where he carried out the attack.
He disclosed that after attacking the victim with a knife, both of them fell from the motorcycle before the deceased attempted to flee.
The suspect stated that he escaped with the motorcycle and initially used it for private and commercial purposes before hiding it with the wife of a friend out of fear of being caught.
Adebayo also admitted engaging in traditional spiritual practices and claimed some internet fraudsters patronised him for rituals.
He, however, expressed regret over the killing, blaming his action on anger and frustration over his past encounter with the deceased.
The police spokesperson said the suspect would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigation.
NAN
