By Adejoke Adeleye, Abeokuta
The killing of the Fatinoye couple and their son in their Ibara GRA home in Abeokuta in Ogun State sent shock waves around Nigeria not just because the multiple murders were carried out few minutes into the New Year.
Indeed, the couple had just returned from the cross- over service before they were murdered by assailants who were already waiting for them in their home.
But to cover up their tracks, the murderers had also in the most gruesome manner also set the corpses of the couple ablaze.
They also tied up their two sons – Oreoluwa and Felix- who walked in as they were carrying killing their parents took them to a river where they dumped them.
One of the sons died, while the other was miraculously rescued by fishermen after hours in the river.
However, Ogun State Police Command had last Thursday announced that it had recorded a breakthrough in the investigation of the gruesome murder of the Fatinoye couple with the arrest of the key suspects.
And on Friday, Ogun Police Command spokesperson, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi paraded three suspects, Lekan Adekanbi a.k.a Koroba, Ahmed Odetola a.k.a Akamo and Waheed Adeniji a.k.a Koffi as the brain behind the triple murder.
According to the police spokesperson, the first suspect who was arrested and has been discovered to be the chief mastermind of the murders was Adekanbi, who was a driver to the deceased family.
Giving details of how the suspects were nabbed and the reasons they gave for the New Year Day multiple murders, Oyeyemi said, “The arrested suspect Lekan Adekanbi suddenly collapsed in the cell on the 2nd of January 2023, and he was rushed to the hospital for medical care.
“But while in the hospital receiving treatment, he suddenly jumped from the bed and escaped through the fence of the hospital. His escape further confirmed the police suspicion of his involvement in the case.
“There and then, the Commissioner of Police ordered the State anti-kidnapping unit to join forces with the homicide unit in order to get the escaped driver and his accomplices arrested.
“The two teams, in compliance with the CP’s directive, embarked on technical and intelligence driven investigation and traced the movement of the suspect to his elder brother in Iseyin, Oyo State, but he had left the place before the arrival of the police.
“The teams further intensified their efforts which yielded positive results, when Lekan Adekanbi was apprehended in his hideout somewhere in Abeokuta.
He added that on interrogation, Lekan Adekanbi who has been the driver to the Fatinoye couple since 2018 confessed to being the mastermind of the dastardly act.
He stated that he invited the other two suspects Ahmed Odetola a.k.a Akamo and Waheed Adeniyi a.k.a Koffi to come and join him in order to rob the couple.
He confessed further that he took the step because the couple refused to increase his salary, and that he approached them for loan to buy motorcycle, but they didn’t oblige him.
He stated further that on that fateful day, himself and his two accomplices waited for the couple to come back from crossover service since he has access to the house, and they pounced on them immediately they entered the house.
When asked why the Alsatian dog in the house did not attack them, he stated that the dog is very familiar with him being the person who always feed it.
“Having got hold of the couple, they forced the husband, Kehinde Fatinoye to transfer money from his account to “Kuda” bank account of Ahmed Odetola, but the transfer failed. It was then Lekan Adekanbi gave the deceased his own Access bank account to which the sum of #1.2million (One million, two hundred thousand) was transferred at gunpoint.
Since Lekan realized that his identity has been known through his bank account, hit the wife Mrs Bukola Fatinoye with Hammer twice while Koffi slaughtered the husband with Kitchen Knife.
“While the operation was going on, the only son of the deceased, Oreoluwa Fatinoye and their adopted son, Felix Olorunyomi walked in and the hoodlums pounced on them too, tied them with rope and drove them to Ogun River Bridge at Adigbe where they threw the two of them into the river.
“Luck however smiled at Felix Olorunyomi when the rope on his hand loosed and he was able to swim out of the river. But Oreoluwa was not that lucky as his dead body was recovered the following day.
“Waheed Adeniyi a.k.a Koffi and Ahmed Odetola a.k.a Akamo were both apprehended at Ogere on Thursday 9th of February 2023.
Oyeyemi added that the three suspects who are members of Aye confraternity have all confessed to their various roles in the gruesome and callous murder of the family.
Also arrested with Lekan are his mother and girlfriend who have been hiding him from the public.
The Commissioner of police, CP Frank Mba has ordered the suspects be charged to court as soon as possible.
