Kwara State Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin has remanded a man identified as Kayode Ibuoye for allegedly misleading the Nigerian police to invade Arandun town in the Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.
During the invasion, the police arrested the community’s traditional ruler and some other residents.
It was learned that Ibuoye was arraigned on Monday on charges of criminal conspiracy, injurious falsehood and giving false information with the intent to mislead public servants, contrary to sections 97, 353 and 140 of the penal code as contained in the Police First Information Report (FIR) obtained by SaharaReporters on Wednesday.
The police report said, “On 5th June, 2021 at about 1400hrs, the Kwara State Police Command received an endorsed petition from the office of the Inspector General of Police, Police Force Headquarters, Abuja wherein the law office of Maritime Commercial and Immigration Law Chamber of Ogudu GRA, Ogudu, Lagos State forwarded a complaint to the Inspector General of Police on behalf of one Prince Kayode Ibuoye and Mr. Dayo Ezekiel Aransiola representing the youth of Arandun Community bodering on allegations titled "A compelling and compassionate petition against kingpin godfatherism, contintol 5 Ast (sic) of serial killings, mysterious and unabated disappearance of communal inhabitants for rituals, multiple cases of serial murder, banditry an) contentious acts of intimidation of people of Arandun by Oba Ibikunle Olapade Adekanye who has been found to be ring leader and godfather of a notorious syndicate terrorising Arandun in Kwara
State" and requesting discreet investigations into the allegation raised in the petition.
“The petition further mentioned that the traditional ruler, Oba Ibikunle Olapade Adekanye conspired with the following chiefs and residents of the community to perpetrate the crimes at various times and places. (1) Mr. Gbenga Awoyale (2) Mr Dayo Adewoye (3) Mr. Adeyinka Adewoye (4) Mr Rufus Adewoye (5) Mr Wale Awoyale (6) High Chief Eleme N. Oicschinde (7) Mr. Oka (8) Mr. Musa Kadir (9) Yellow (10) Aliu Kadir (11) Alfa Abdulazeez.
“The petition alleged the above-listed persons to be responsible for the following criminal acts in Arandun Community; (1) Suicide and Unnatural death of one Vigilante Operative named Oluwasanya Feyisope Odutan (aka "Ope") as a result of food poisoning in November 2020 (ii) kidnapping and eventual gruesome murder of one Mrs. Abidoye Ayokunu in October 2014, (iii) kidnapping and disappearance of one Raphael Ibuoye from his shop in Ilorin in June 2013. (iv) kidnapping of some expatriate road construction workers from neighbouring Ila Oragun, Osun state into Arandun, Kwara State (v) allegation of disappearance and eventual gruesome murder of one housewife named Rafat in 2016 (vi) continuous intimidation of the community youth by the traditional ruler to cover up for his alleged criminal activities.”
It was further learned that Ibuoye’s petition was what led to the invasion of the town by the police during the celebration of ‘Egungun’ festival in June.
SaharaReporters learnt that the policemen during the invasion created tension and arrested some residents, including a man simply identified as Abidoye.
This was stated in an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu and signed by three residents of the community; Olawuyi Emmanuel, Bobawale Onifade and Abdulraman Ajayi narrating how the incident happened.
However, the police stated in its FIR presented to the court on Monday that "a discreet investigation conducted by the State Criminal Investigation Department Police Headquarters, Ilorin into the various allegations raised in the petition revealed that the traditional ruler and other people mentioned in the petition were not involved in any of the criminal allegations as suspects arrested by the Police in respect of some of the crimes listed in the petition are presently standing trial."
According to the investigation, the petition comprising the different charges made to the Inspector General of Police on behalf of Prince Kayode Ibuoye and Mr Dayo Ezekiel (at large) is malicious and baseless.
The residents of Arandun had also petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, against Alhaji Ibrahim Gbenga Ajide Ibuoye, the elder brother of the suspect.
The residents accused Alhaji Ajide Ibuoye of harassing and intimidating them, using hired thugs and police escorts. They said such harassment had been going on for over a decade.