Police arrest couple, accomplice for kidnapping and killing hotelier

Operatives of Ogun Police Command, have arrested a couple identified as Larry Adewumi and his wife, Olufunmilayo, for abducting and killing the Director of Rolak Hotel, Abayomi Smith.

The couple were nabbed alongside their accomplice, one Adebowale Sanni, in the Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State, two years after they allegedly committed the crime.

In a statement in which Ogun Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi disclosed the arrest of the couple and their accomplice, it was recalled that the suspects on September 28, 2020, around 7.30 am, at Anifowose Estate, Igbeba, Ijebu Ode, abducted the victim.

The statement quoted Oyeyemi as saying that the suspects killed Smith in spite of collecting a N15 million ransom from his family.

“On receiving the information about the kidnap, men of Anti-Kidnapping unit were mobilised to commence investigation but all efforts to get the victim out of captivity proved abortive despite the fact that the victim’s family paid a ransom of N15 million to the abductors.

“Since then, police operatives have not relented in their efforts to fish out those behind the devilish act. The efforts of the SP Taiwo Opadiran led team yielded positive results in September this year when they got wind of a plan by the hoodlums to strike again. This time, the wife and son of Otunba Abayomi Smith were their targets.

“The team, having got the intelligence report, embarked on technical surveillance for the suspects, consequence upon which one of them was traced to Ikeji Arakeji in Osun State, where the 55-year-old Adebowale Sanni was apprehended.

“On interrogation, he confessed to have been on the trail of Yeye Olusola Ajayi, the wife of their earlier victim, Otunba Ajayi Smith in order to kidnap her, on the order of Larry Adewumi, the ring leader, whose wife Olufunmilayo, happened to be an employee of Otunba Abayomi Smith,” Oyeyemi added.

According to the police spokesperson in Ogun, Sanni confessed further that it was Larry who described the victim’s hotel and his other business outfits to him, with instructions to kill his wife and son after collecting ransom.

“His confession led to the arrest of Larry’s wife, Olufunmilayo, who was a manager at the victim’s building materials shops. Larry himself was arrested three days later. He initially denied having anything to do with the kidnap of Otunba Abayomi Smith, but when he came into confrontation with Adebowale Sanni, his accomplice, he knew immediately that the game was up,” he added.

Lanre Bankole, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, in his reaction to the arrest, directed that the suspects be charged to court for prosecution.