Escape of prime suspect in murder of ex-CBN staff, wife in Ogun

While everyone is busy thanking God and relishing seeing the brand new year on January 1, 2023, the news filtered in  the afternoon that some suspected arsonists set a couple ablaze shortly after returning from the crossover service held to mark the arrival of the new year. The only son of the couple as well as the maid were said to have been abducted by these assailants.

The corpse of the 25-year-old only son of the couple was later reportedly recovered from Ogun river on the third day of the bizzare incident.

The couple’s names were given as Mr Kehinde Fatinoye, a senior staff of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Abeokuta office as well as Bukola Fatinoye working with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).

The sad incident, which reverberated across the country was said to have occured at the couple’s private residence, located at Government Reservation Area (GRA), Ibara in Abeokuta.

The suspected arsonists were believed to have trailed the couple to their private residence after the crossover service before setting the house ablaze. They were also reportedly said to have whisked away the son of the victims.

A source at the residence of the deceased said the suspected arsonists were reported to have kidnapped the son alongside the housemaid, and threw them into a river along Adigbe-Obada axis of the town.

The victims were burnt beyond recognition with their remains later packed by policemen and other health officials at the scene, and drove to the hospital in an ambulance, while hundreds of sympathizers at the house were seen crying over the sad development.

It was also gathered that number of church members of the couple who rushed to the house shortly after the spread of the news, confirmed that they held the crossover service together at a church located in Okejigbo area of Abeokuta.

The sympathizers from the church said they could not believe their ears on hearing the ugly development, saying they suspected that the arsonists might have trailed the couple to their home to carry out the callous crime

The Acting Vice Chancellor of FUNAAB, Prof. Olusola Kehinde described the death of Mrs. Fatinoye, a senior staff of the University, and her husband as gruesome and a rude shock to the University community, which came at a time when the dawn of a new year is being celebrated globally.

Prof. Kehinde urged security agencies to, as a matter of urgency, unravel and bring perpetrators of the dastard act to justice as soon as possible.

The Ogun State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi had confirmed the attack saying that one suspect had also been arrested in connection with the dastardly act.

Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State who was equally terrified by the terrible act had given marching order to the security agencies urging them to fish out those behind the heinous crime

However, over the weekend, one Lekan Adekanmbi, the only suspect arrested in connection with the killing and setting ablaze of the Fatinoyes was said to have escaped from police custody in Ogun State.

After the killing of Fatinoye, his wife and their only son, the police said they had arrested Adekanmbi as the prime suspect in the case. Adekanmbi was the driver of the late CBN staff until the day he was assassinated.

The Ibara police divisional headquarters had allegedly nabbed Adekanmbi and held him in custody to aid their investigation.

Lekan was however allegedly said to have disappeared in a controversial circumstances when the police took him to the hospital for medical care. He was said to have complained of being sick only for him to use this as pretense to disappear into thin air.

According to report, Lekan was said to have fled when he discovered that the domestic staff of the Fatinoyes, who was taken away by the assassins alongside their son, did not die.

He had become restless the moment he set his eyes on the domestic staff, it was learnt.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Ibara, Abeokuta, CSP Bernard Ediagbonya, was said to have allegedly been removed for alleged negligence. It was gathered that Ediagbonya has been ordered to resume at the police headquarters, Eleweran, with immediate effect.

It is however disturbing that a criminal suspect of such a disheartening incident could be said to have escaped from the police custody.

This is of course not the first time such a disappointing act is linked to our security agencies but each time such unthinkable happens it casts a  big dent on the professionalism of our security agents and for some citizens, such unforgivable act smacks of conspiracy.

Or how do you justify the wiping out of an entire family by some beasts in human skin and just when everyone thought that just very soon those that were involved will soon keep date with justice, the prime suspect allegedly escaped from the police under a very questionable circumstance?

This is totally unacceptable, unprofessional and stand condemnable by every right thinking Nigerian.

It will be appropriate for the Inspector General of Police to take over the investigation of this dastardly act and ensure that anyone found culpable no matter how highly placed is adequately punished.

It will be very sad if the cold murder of the ex-CBN staff, his wife and their only child is allowed to be part of statistic of unresolved killings in the country.

The expectation of Nigerians is that the Police will shake off this challenge and redouble their efforts to get to the root of this wicked act and bring to justice those who caused the sun of these Nigerians to set at noon.