*Murder suspect commits suicide in Lokoja
Richard Elesho
In a significant collaboration, the Kogi State Government has deployed operatives of the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade to Olle-Bunu in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area to stem the tide of banditry threatening the area and its environs.
The deployment, which followed credible intelligence reports of fleeing armed bandits attempting to infiltrate the community, was formalised during a visit by the State Security Adviser, Commander Duro Jerry Omodara (Rtd), who delivered a message: Kogi will not cede an inch of its territory to criminals.
Kingsley Fanwo, Commissioner for Information and Communication, who made the announcement, stated that the move is part of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s comprehensive approach to securing lives and property across the state. With improvements being recorded in an Odo-Ape, a major flashpoint, Olle-Bunu emerged as a potential escape corridor for displaced criminal elements.
Commander Omodara, addressing traditional rulers, youth leaders, and community stakeholders during the visit, warned that anyone aiding or abetting criminals—be it as informants, transporters, or harborers—would be treated as an enemy of the state.
“This deployment is not just about chasing bandits. It’s a strong message that wherever they run, we will follow. Our communities must be safe for development, safe for our children, and safe for our future,” he said.
The Nigerian Army has since established a temporary forward operations base in the community and ramped up patrols and surveillance. Major Usman Mohammed, who represented the Brigade Commander, reiterated the army’s readiness to confront threats and praised the government for its support.
Community members welcomed the intervention. Speaking on behalf of the Olle-Bunu people, Elder John Ebajemito pledged full cooperation with security forces and thanked Governor Ododo for his proactive leadership.
“This government has shown that security is not negotiable. We will work hand-in-hand with the army to ensure no criminal finds refuge in Olle-Bunu,” he assured.
Murder suspect commits suicide in Lokoja
A staff member of the Nigeria Correctional Centre, Pelumi Adebayo, suspected to be the murderer of Ayo Aiyepekun, a young photo journalist in Lokoja, Kogi State, may have committed suicide.
Pelumi’s dead body was discovered in a hotel room this Thursday, a day after his involvement in the Tuesday night murder became public knowledge.
The corpse of the suspect was recovered by policemen just before journalists arrived at the hotel.
It was gathered that Pelumi checked into the private Lodge around Wednesday morning with the name Olorunpelumi Jacob. It was, however, later discovered that the name on his Correctional Centre Identity Card, where he is a Deputy Superintendent, omitted Jacob.
A source in the Lodge said he did not leave the hotel room until much later in the evening when he went out briefly and returned shortly after.
At daybreak on Thursday, the staff of the Lodge became curious when the guest did not come out. After knocking on his door persistently without a response, they alerted the police.
On arrival, the law enforcement officers forced the door to open, only to discover his lifeless body on the bed. A bottle of Coke and a container of Snipper were also found in the room, fuelling the suspicion of suicide.
Pelumi was reported to have killed the photo journalist, a staff member of Inside Story, an online medium, on Tuesday night inside the desolate premises housing their office. He had allegedly asked the victim to help him lift a load into his pickup van before fatally assaulting him.
According to an eyewitness who worked with InsideStory, he was in the office with the victim doing some video and photo editing when the suspect called the victim to help him out on his poultry farm, which is inside the same compound.
”It was around 7:30 pm when the suspect called him, but he didn’t know that Ayo was not the only person in the office. Immediately, Ayo got out, Adebayo hit him with an iron repeatedly and killed him there.”
The eyewitness said he saw the suspect lifting the body into a deep freezer in his Hilux Van, prompting him to raise alarm, “I called some people on the phone who mobilised the vigilante in the area, but before they came, Adebayo had made away with the dead body.”
The witness said that along with the vigilante, they searched the area but could only see blood stains in the freezer and around the poultry store.
”While the vigilantes were still with us, the suspect drove into the compound with his van, and when he saw us, he turned back and refused to stop, but the vigilante chased him, and along the line, his car had an accident during the chase which made him jumped out of the vehicle and ran away.”
The witness said the van was also stained with blood. He said that while the body was yet to be recovered, they feared that ritual may be the motive behind the crime.
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