Father And Son Paraded Along 6 Others By Ondo State Police Parade As Suspects In Murder of APC Chieftain (Photos)

The Ondo State Police Command on Wednesday paraded eight suspected killers of an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Olumide Odimayo, in Akure.

The corpse of the late chieftain, who was kidnapped in his residence last Thursday, was discovered his corpse by a river bank on Monday.

With the assistance of the local vigilantes and intelligence gathered by detectives, police arrested eight men suspected of kidnapping and killing Mr Odimayo.

The suspects are Bekewei Francis, 45, palm wine tapper, and his son, David Seimengha Francis, 22; Fikesi Inuesokan; Evan Roman; Gbamila Success; Bodidi Idowu; Saturday Amos and Ijanboh Kehinde.

Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison, Commissioner of Police, Ondo State, addressed reporters while parading the suspects at the command headquarters in Akure.

Mrs Ibifuro-Harrison noted that Mr. Odimayo’s corpse was brought to the Ondo State General Hospital in Okitipupa, where it will undergo an autopsy.

In her words,

“These kidnap gang members are more than fifteen, but after investigation those paraded will be diligently prosecuted,” she said, adding that police would nab the remaining members of the gang.

It was gathered that the eight culprits were arrested with 10 mobile phones, one AK-49 rifle and 21 rounds of live ammunition.

During interrogation, David Francis, the ring leader, confessed to journalists that the kidnapping of Mr Odimayo was perfectly planned by his group members.

“I was contacted by my father, Bekewei Francis, that we should kidnap the man [Odimayo], so immediately I called my friends on the phone and the arrangement was made. 

“We stormed his residence at Igbotu and kidnapped him, but while heading inside the creek, the youths of the community chased us and killed one of our members. 

“We learnt that the youths were joined by some local vigilantes and the police but we were already getting tired inside the creek. 

“So, when the members of the vigilante group were close to us we decided to drop him [Odimayo] by the bank of the river and he later died,” the ring leader said.

The Police Commissioner, however urged Ondo State residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious persons to the police.