The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a two members of a seven-person criminal gang, Chukwuma Bartholomew and Igwe Monday, for allegedly abducting and murdering Point of Sale operator Olúwaṣeun Oworu and 71-year-old farmer Adekunle Ifelaja in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State.
According to The PUNCH, on Saturday, the suspects, linked to multiple kidnappings and murders in Ijebu-Igbo, were arrested at their hideouts in Ijebu on June 28, 2024, after extensive intelligence work and tracking by the state police command.
A police source, involved in the sting operation but speaking anonymously, revealed that the syndicate attacked Oworu’s home on July 29, 2023, in the Ojowo community, robbing him of his belongings, including a point-of-sale machine with a Monie Point account, before fatally shooting him.
The same seven-man gang allegedly kidnapped 34-year-old Ogunyemi Femi from his nearby residence on November 23, 2023.
The source explained, “After they kidnapped him, they took him to an unknown destination. A few days later, they made a video of the victim and sent it to his family to demand ransom. The family rallied around to pay the ransom, but these wicked criminals refused to release the victim to his family.”
Emboldened by their past actions, the gang abducted Ifelaja from his farm in Oke-Sopen, Ijebu-Igbo, on December 31, 2023.
The police source added that the suspects recorded a video of the elderly farmer and sent it to his family, demanding ransom for his release. Known as Adeife, Ifelaja was forcibly taken from his farm in the Odomosibi area.
“They received the ransom, but when the family was expecting the release of their loved ones, this gang refused to set him free despite receiving the ransom,” the source said.
It was learnt that the gang used Oworu’s stolen PoS machine for their criminal transactions.
Spokesperson for the State Police Command, Omolola Odutola confirmed the arrests in a phone interview on Saturday.
She stated the suspects had confessed to the crimes and would face prosecution.
Odutola also revealed during interrogation that the suspects admitted to killing both the farmer and Femi despite collecting ransoms.
“A thorough investigation led to the hideouts of the criminals and their arrest on June 28, 2024, in Ijebu-Igbo. They confessed that they killed Ogunyemi Femi and Sunday Ifelaja and buried them in a shallow grave in a forest in Ijebu-Igbo. The suspects are currently taking the CP and other police officers to the forest to exhume the deceased victims. Efforts are currently being intensified to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.”
PUNCH reported on July 3, 2024, that the command announced the death of two kidnappers in a gunfight. These suspects were allegedly behind the abduction of four travelers on the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode expressway.
State Police Commissioner Abiodun Alamutu confirmed that the four abducted travelers—one Nigerian and three Indian nationals—had been freed. Recovered from the kidnappers were 109 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, five AK47 rifles, eight AK magazines, and two cell phones.
Governor Dapo Abiodun praised the state command for the operation, warning criminals that the government would use all resources to eliminate them from the state.
