They were arrested on Friday, October 9 at the Tollgate area of Ogere where they had gone to sell the deceased’s motorcycle.
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested three teenagers, Sodiq Awokoya, Odunayo Samson and Jimoh Rilwan over their alleged involvement in the murder of a motorcyclist, Bashiru Umaru.
This was made known in a statement issued by the command's spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi.
According to the statement, the suspects were said to have seized the deceased's motorcycle after which they killed him.
They were arrested on Friday, October 9 at the Tollgate area of Ogere where they had gone to sell the deceased’s motorcycle.
The teenagers were exposed after the buyer demanded the documents of the motorcycle before purchase but became suspicious when the three suspects gave conflicting accounts of how they obtained the motorcycle.
The buyer was said to have secretly informed the police in Ogere divisional headquarters, consequent upon which the DPO Ogere division, Abiodun Ayinde, led his men to the scene and got the three suspects apprehended.
The police said, “Upon interrogation, they informed the police that the motorcycle was stolen from Iperu Remo, and they were subsequently handed over to police in the Iperu division.
“Coincidentally, it was the time the relations of the deceased came to lodge a complaint about their missing person that the police brought the suspects from Ogere with the stolen motorcycle.
“On sighting the motorcycle, the relatives of the deceased quickly identified it and informed the police that the motorcycle brought with the suspects belonged to their missing brother.
"Upon the information, the policemen intensified their investigation into the case, and the suspects later confirmed that they actually snatched the motorcycle and that the owner was being tied to a tree in a bush.
“In order to rescue the victim, the policemen quickly led the suspects to the bush, but surprisingly, they had hacked him to death before taking away the motorcycle.
“Further investigation revealed that Samson Odunayo was the person, who called the deceased to take him to somewhere in Iperu, unknown to the okada man that he had already informed Sodiq Awokoya to wait in a bush along Ona Eri area of Iperu with cutlass and other dangerous weapons.
“On getting to the point, Samson Odunayo ordered the deceased to stop because he had got to his destination. While the deceased was waiting to collect his money, Sodiq Awokoya came out with a cutlass and cut him.
“While wriggling in pain, Samson Awokoya moved near him and squeezed his neck until he gave up the ghost. They searched his pocket and found the sum of N5,500 which they also took away. Further investigation revealed that this is the second robbery operation carried out by the suspects.”
“Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation, with a view to charging them to court as soon as investigation is concluded.”