Operatives of Ogun State Police Command have arrested one Larry Adebayo Adewumi and his wife Okereke Olufunmilayo with one Adebowale Sanni over the abduction and killing of a popular hotelier, Otunba Abayomi Ajayi Smith, the Director of Rolak Hotel Ijebu Ode.
Otunba Ajayi Smith was kidnapped on the 28th of September 2020 at about 7:30 am, at Anifowose Estate igbeba, Ijebu Ode by some gunmen.
On receiving the information about the kidnap, men of Anti kidnapping unit then mobilized to commence the investigation, but all efforts to get the victim out of captivity proved abortive, despite the fact that the victim’s family paid a ransom of 15 million naira to the abductors.
Since then, police operatives have not relented in their efforts to fish out those behind the devilish act.
The efforts of the SP Taiwo Opadiran-led team yielded positive results in September this year, when they got wind of the plan by the hoodlums to strike again, this time, the wife and son of Otunba Ajayi Smith were their target.
The team, having got the intelligence report, embarked on technical surveillance for the suspects, a consequence upon which one of them was traced to Ikeji Arakeji in Osun State, where the 55yrs of Adebowale Sanni was apprehended.
On interrogation, he confessed to having been on the trail of Yeye Olusola Roseline Ajayi Smith in order to kidnap her, on the order of Larry Adebayo Adewunmi the ring leader, whose wife Olufunmilayo happened to be an employee of Otunba Ajayi Smith.
He confessed further that it was Larry who described the location of the victim’s hotel and his other business outfit to him with instruction that if they succeeded in kidnapping the woman and her son, the two of them must be killed after collecting ransom in other not to leave any trait just has they did to her husband two years ago.
His confession led to the arrest of Larry’s wife, Olufunmilayo who was a manager at the victim’s building material shops.
Larry himself was arrested 3 days after, he initially denied having anything to do with the kidnap of Otunba Abayomi Ajayi Smith, but when he came into confrontation with Adebowale Sanni, his accomplice, he knew immediately that the game is up.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Larry who is an indigene of Ilesha Osun State used to be a fraudster before he graduated to a fulltime kidnapping business.
His modus operandi was to scout for a rich victim, after which he will mobilize his gang working for him to go after such a person.
He got full information about Otunba Ajayi Smith through his wife Olufunmilayo who was an employee of the man. Further investigation revealed that Larry has two bank accounts that he used to keep money realised from his criminal activities.
In one of the accounts with number 0010913206 domicile in Jaiz bank the sum of Thirty four million, nine hundred and fifty three thousand four hundred and fifty five (#34,953,455) was discovered therein, while he has the sum of Four million Five hundred and seventy six thousand eight hundred and forty six naira (#4,576,846) in other accounts with Access bank.
A 2014 model Toyota highlander was also recovered from him.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre. S Bankole, who commanded his men for painstakingly following the suspects until they were arrested, directed that other members of the gang shuld be hunted for and brought to book.
He also directed that the arrested suspects be charge to court as soon as investigation is concluded.
