….Killers of Elerewe of Owo Kingdom arrested
….5m paid to the assailants
….He was shot with charmed nail inserted in AK 47
……Prime suspect on the run
At last the people of Owo are now relieved when the police arrested some suspects who killed the Elerewe of Owo Kingdom .The suspects were arrested last Wednesday in Owo. The suspected assassins who participated in the plan and those who pulled the trigger are now confessing like a tormented witch to their crime at the Police Station, Akure . The ring leader bolted away while his wife went into hiding.
KILLERS OF ELEREWE ARRESTED
Six men including a father and his son (names withheld) suspected to have masterminded the killing of the late Chief Ilori Tunde the Elerewe of Owo Kingdom were arrested from their various places on Wednesday evening after a tip off. Some were picked up from their hideouts while others were picked from their homes . However, the ring leader (names withheld) was said to have being pursued by the police but escaped. It was gathered that the prime suspect was said to have paid the sum of five million naira to the assailants to kill the late Chief .One of the suspects who scaled the fence of his house was given the beaten of his life by the Police officer.
This arrest came three months after the late Chief was brutally murdered when he and some people were returning from a fact finding mission. The deceased was accompanied to the farmland by the Land Resolution Committee inaugurated by the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye III, to look into the matter when he was shot at close range in his vehicle while returning to the township. It was a shock to the community that those who claimed to be innocent at first when they were arrested were the same set of people eventually arrested and now confessing.
According to a reliable source the suspects were firstly arrested immediately after the incident as they were the prime suspects but were released later by the Police , their release did not please the slain Chief’s family as they were convinced that the suspects did it.
Investigation revealed that the prime suspect did all he could do to deceive people that he was innocent and was never part of the killing as he went to church to do a thanksgiving for being ‘cleared’ of the killing while he along with others boasted about .
Two weeks ago the suspects were asked to report themselves for another interrogation but they declined saying they had once been interrogated while their lawyer ran to the Ministry of Justice to fight for them . Today the family members of the late Chief and the public are vindicated as the truth has come out. The wind has blown and we have seen the romp of the fowl.
WHAT LED TO THEIR ARREST
Information gathered that one of the suspects raped a secondary school young girl ( names withheld) and the case was reported to the police. When the police went to arrest the suspect about three AK 47 riffles were found in his house . The suspect ( names withheld) confessed that the riffles were kept in his custody and that one of the riffles was used to kill the late Elerewe. He began to confess like a tormented witch as he named his accomplices and the man who sent them , our source revealed.
He confessed to the killing and said he planned with others to execute it along with some others who are now at large. The suspect revealed that that they inserted some charmed six inches nails into the riffle and aimed at the late Chief’s eyes .He added that they had to do juju or charms on the nails since the late Chief was assumed to be powerful and ordinary gun cannot penetrate into his body.
An AK 47 riffle
six inches nail
PRIME SUSPECT ON THE RUN
According to a reliable source the prime and principal suspect ( names withheld) escaped arrest by the police while investigation reveals that his wife and children have absconded.
As at the time of filing this report investigation revealed that some of the suspects arrested are in the police custody, Akure confessing the roles they played in the killing. While the natives are jubilating that the culprits were eventually caught .The Police is yet to make an official statement on the issue.
It is exactly three months when a notable Owo High Chief Ilori Tunde the Elerewe of Owo was killed .Now new facts are emerging .
Owo First Bank Manager should be invited for interrogation – Barrister Idowu Femi Falana
He was killed over Chieftaincy title and Family property – Doris ,Wife of late Chief
The older sister of the late Elerewe of Owo Kingdom has vowed that the remains of his dead brother would not be buried until the killers are identified and brought to book. She made this revelation last week during a telephone interview .
Owo Community in Ondo state was thrown into confusion three months ago when the news of the assassination of High Chief Elerewe was broken. He was said to have been shot at a close range over a dispute a farmland along Owo- Ute by unknown gunmen. The late Chief High Ilori Tunde who was the Elerewe of Owo Kingdom was said to be returning from a fact -finding mission on a land which was said to belonged to him .Chief Ilori was reportedly ambushed by the masked gunmen while returning from his farmland along Ute road, Owo, which some other parties are laying claim to.
The deceased was accompanied to the farmland by the Land Resolution Committee inaugurated by the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye III, to look into the matter when he was shot at close range in his vehicle while returning to the township.
According to information the late Chief had approached the Olowo for a peaceful resolution of the disputed over the farmland.
Reports had it that the High Chief and members of the committee were attacked on the farm land which led to the death of Ilori. Palace sources said a distress call was received from the committee who reportedly requested for reinforcement to ward off the attack.
During the attack, the masked men targeted the Elerewe and was said to have been shot on the head while others ran for their lives.
OSENI ORONBATO’S ACCOUNT
………They shot the Chief in the eye
…….. 11 bullets were extracted from my body
………. Owo people know the man behind the assassination
An eye witness account Oseni Oronbato (53)said he was in the same vehicle with the late Chief with other four occupants when the tragic incident happened. He said ” My name is Oseni Oronbato , a drycleaner .On that fateful Wednesday , we went to the farmland over the dispute on the farmland on the instruction of Olowo of Owo Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III . On our way back home I saw two men who were part of the opposition party on a motorbike who overtook our vehicle . We were six in our vehicle with a village head Atelegi Alamuren of Ogain he is the Village head of the Community . we wanted to drop at his Farm Camp .Not less than 15 minutes on our way when we heard a sound of a burst tire from our vehicle thinking and we stopped to have a look at the tire when one of the Masked men came closer and shot at a close range into Elerewe’s eyes and that went into his brain. They fired shots from behind and these shots entered my head thank God it didn’t enter my brain, but all the pellets are in my scalp while one went into my back and my into hand. It is God that rescued me from that place. I didn’t see the faces of the assailants because they were all masked”.
He continued ” one of us who was sitting with Chief Elerewe in the front quickly opened the door and escaped , yet these assailants went after him .But one of us who escaped again ran back , opened the door and seeing that I had not died , dragged me out and we started running to escape . But already the Elerewe had died instantly . No rescue , nobody could even rescue him. While I was bleeding the wo of us ran for three miles to Amurin Agayin Farm Camp. It was from here that one of us took his phone and called his ( Elerewe) wife to brief her what happened and they called Amotekun, the State Security Outfit. The Amotekun arrived to rescue us and they went to pick up Elerewe’s body .They removed 11 pellets from my body, then seven from my head, they removed two bullets from my back, one dug a hole in my chest as X-ray revealed . I was taken to Akure that night where the X-ray was done on my hands ,chest and other parts of my body. The hospital said could not remove the bullets but I was given drugs to relieve my pains .I spent four days at Federal Medical Centre, Owo from there I was taken to Iyere- Owo where the trado-medical removed the bullets. But I am still having pains .It was cartridges that they shot at me but I suspected that Elerewe was shot with AK 47 and they aimed at his eye, and his eye gouged out as the bullet penetrated into his brain. I spent four days at the hospital. I spent up to 300,000 naira.
DORIS ELEREWE’S CRIES OUT
….Land is a smokescreen
…All Owo people know the man behind the killing
….Who will take care of my children now?
Doris Elerewe who was the wife of the late Chief was weeping profusely during the interview, she said the problem started from the chieftaincy title. Before and since my husband was conferred the title of the chieftaincy in 2018 his opponent ( names withheld ) has been attacking him. At a time he cooked up stories that he was an armed robber and a killer .He took my husband to Abuja where he was unlawfully detained for weeks. The said suspect sold the family’s property and farmland and emptied the family’s treasury but my late husband kept his cool. He threatened my late husband several times that he should relinquish the tittle or else he would kill him. He had collected over 10years tenant rent from the land the First Bank have their building on . When my late husband approached the Bank and gave them quit notice and the suspect was informed and he quickly ran to the Bank .The Owo First Bank Manager should be summoned to come and tell what he know about all these illegal transactions ”.She added” now who will take cater of my children?”
ADEOLA OLAYINKA
We will not bury Elerewe until the killers are found
……We all know who killed him
…..Let the Federal government come in
Mrs. Adeola Olayinka ( Nee Elerewe) who was the older sister to the late Chief said his younger brother had not known peace since his enthronement to the family’s chieftaincy title, Elerewe . According to her, the genesis of the story was from the chieftaincy tittle the late Elerewe was holding , the property, and the Farmland that the late High Chief’s grandfather, Olakunori Elerewe left behind . Olayinka said First Bank in Owo that rented the family land was given a quit notice by the late Elerewe as their rent was almost due .But the prime suspect who had cunningly gone behind to collect 10years rent from them was jittery and had to do all these in order to stop the late Chief from exposing him the more. She said ”the Bank Manager should be summoned and should be called to give evidences of the transactions as a tenant on the Elerewe’s land, the police should investigate this thoroughly .I was called that evening that my brother had been shot and when I got to Owo I was hearing all manners of stories. I was told that the first shot was on the tires while the late chief thought it was his tire that burst , as he came out to look at the tire they fired him at a close range. The sight of the corpse was too gory to look at . I learnt they used AK 47 on him. We have gone spiritual , called his spirit, we have gone traditionally and he told us who killed him but we want all those who had hands in it to be arrested and investigated. They must not go scot free. The late Chief gave First Bank located on the family’s ground a quit notice , and some secrets leaked out , that was part of the reasons why he was killed. He also tried to take back the family’s farm back , he won and was murdered in cold blood over all this .The culprits should be brought to book”
KEHINDE DARAMOLE ( NEE OLATERU OLAGBEGI)
……..He was killed over chieftaincy and property
……….Inspector General of Police should come in
Mrs. Kehinde Daramola ( Nee Olagbegi) said her late Cousin Elerewe was unjustly killed by assassins for no just reason, she implored the state government and Federal Government to do the needful and make sure justice is served. ”All Owo people know who killed Chief Elerewe. We want justice. If a man of such caliber could be killed and nothing happens then nobody is free. The assassins were paid to kill this man for no just cause, it is bad. The Inspector General of Police should wade into the matter and treat it urgently because those indicted are trying to use their political power to sweep it under the carpet. This is one dead too many ”, she lamented .
BARRISTER OLUFEMI IDOWU FALANA
Barrister Olufemi Idowu Falana who is the deputy Head of the campaign for Justice for Chief Ilori Elerewe said the principal suspect (names withheld)was interrogated and the Police rode in his (suspect) Hilux truck to the station and was brought back home. Falana said ”The Police freed the two principal suspects(names withheld) on health ground while the duo were heard boasting that they have connections with the political gladiators in the state, they are now walking freely in the town. I want the government to wade into it , call the First Bank Manager in Owo, investigate the Farmland story and the chieftaincy tussle you will see the whole thing .I want the case to be transferred to Abuja . We want justice at all costs. We are pleading to the Federal Government and the IG to wade into the matter”.
A day after the incident the prime suspect house and store were about to be set ablaze by the angry Owo youths but were stopped by the town’s leaders who appeased to them to keep calm and not to take law into their hands.
The remains of the late Elerewe is still at the mortuary as no one knows when he would be buried.
As at the moment of filing this story some suspects are in police custody confessing and telling the police the roles they played in the killing .
N ow the people of Owo are rejoicing over the arrested suspects saying the town would now be peaceful. A man said” now we have known the culprits, the Owo indigenes in diaspora can now come home. I have been hearing bad reports about the suspects , but now the air has blown and we have seen the romp of the fowl”
The Owo indigenes home and abroad are now appealing to the Inspector General of Police to bring the criminal to book. Mr. Ikakodara Asanlaiye said ” Let the Police parade all the suspects and charge them to court. We don’t want to hear any story, let justice prevail. Now we are at peace ”, he said.
