Kwara Police Command parades seven suspected criminals

The Kwara State Police Command paraded on Friday seven suspected criminals involved in various alleged crimes.

Among them was a suspect allegedly involved in the brutal murder of Anthony Kayode Balogun, the hotelier who was murdered on August 8, 2024, at his hotel in the Olulande area of the Ilorin metropolis by suspected cultists.

At a press conference in Ilorin on Friday, Commissioner of Police Victor Olaiya disclosed that a suspect, Abolarin Samuel Idowu, aka Sam Caro, 37, was arrested at his hideout near a Conoil filling station in Ita Alamu, Ilorin, in connection with the murder of the hotelier, three weeks after the incident.

“A search conducted at the time of his arrest led to the recovery of a locally fabricated gun and three live cartridges.

“The suspect admitted to being a member of the notorious Eiye secret cult, initiated in 2011 by an individual named “Otumba,” who remains at large,” the commissioner stated.

He further disclosed: “Investigation revealed that Abolarin Samuel Idowu, along with his accomplices, Alowonle, aka Aloo, and Samuel, aka Sam Febee-Kay, was responsible for the murder of Anthony Kayode Balogun.

“The killing was reportedly a revenge mission for a 2022 cult anniversary celebration during which the deceased allegedly ordered the killing of an Eiye Confraternity member named Abbey.”

He said following the suspect’s confession, additional searches at various criminal hideouts led to the recovery of several exhibits, including two locally-made shotguns, one cut-to-size locally-made gun, one multi-purpose battle axe, eight live cartridges, one locally-made sword, one cutlass and two bottles of unknown liquid, suspected to be hard drugs.

Olaiya said in the attempt to arrest additional suspects and recover further evidence, the police tactical teams on August 18 and 19, 2024, faced resistance, which resulted in grievous bodily harm to one of the police operatives.

Six other suspects who were arrested in connection with the alleged murder of Awesu Mojisola, a 21-year-old graduating student of Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa, include Adebayo Joshua Happiness, Adebayo Adeniyi, Adeoye Adeola, Bulus Peter and two females, Adeniyi Bukola and Lawal Aminat.

According to the police commissioner, the victim was murdered in a hotel in Ilorin, the state capital.

“The incident occurred on August 9, 2024, when Awesu Mojisola received a phone call from one Kolawole Timileyin, a female student of the same institution.

“Timileyin relayed a message from Adebayo Joshua Happiness, an expelled final year student of Summit University, Offa, Kwara State, who invited Awesu Mojisola to attend a purported sign-out party at Whitefield Hotel, Ilorin, with a promise of N15,000. Mojisola accepted the invitation and left Offa for Ilorin later in the day.

“Upon arrival in Ilorin, Mojisola communicated with her friends via phone, expressing discomfort and concern as there appeared to be no sign-out party. Instead, she reported being alone in a hotel room with Adebayo Joshua Happiness, who was reportedly smoking cannabis.

“Subsequently, her phone became unreachable and her whereabouts unknown,” Olaiya added.

He said: “Acting swiftly on the report, an investigation by officers of the command led to the arrest of Adebayo Joshua Happiness. Preliminary findings revealed that Adebayo had deliberately lured Awesu Mojisola to Ilorin under false pretences, booking a hotel room at around 1800 hours with no intention of hosting a party.

“Further investigation uncovered that at about 2345 hours, on the same day, Adebayo Joshua Happiness, booked an additional room at the same hotel for another female, possibly as cover up for his premeditated actions.

“In the early hours of August 10, 2024, Adebayo Joshua Happiness, brutally murdered Awesu Mojisola and abandoned her lifeless body in the hotel room, secured the room and fled with Mojisola’s iPhone and a sum of N15,000 stolen from the deceased. He then returned to Offa and concealed the stolen phone in his hostel wardrobe.”

The Commissioner of Police further disclosed that while the parents of the suspect attempted tampering with evidence in the matter, following their son’s arrest, the hotel staff on duty found the deceased’s body in the hotel room and unlawfully disposed of her body at the refuse dump.

He said the suspects have been apprehended and charged with criminal conspiracy and causing the disappearance of evidence.