Female manager, husband abduct, kill hotelier after collecting N15m

Ogun State Police Command has arrested a female manager at a building materials store, Okereke Olufunmilayo and her husband, Larry Adebayo Adewumi in connection with the abduction and killing of Otunba Abayomi Ajayi Smith, the Director of Rolak Hotel, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Olufunmilayo, according to the police, was an employee of the late Ajayi.

Another accomplice, Adebowale Sanni is also in police net.

Smith was kidnapped on September 28, 2020, about 7:30am, at Anifowose Estate, Igbeba, Ijebu-Ode by some gunmen.

His abductors killed him despite collecting N15 million ransom from his family.

Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi said, operatives have not given up in their efforts to unravel those behind the abduction and killing of the hotelier.

According to him, the efforts of the SP Taiwo Opadiran-led anti-kidnapping team were successful in September this year, when they got wind of plans by the same gang to kidnap the wife and son of their slain victim.

As the team embarked on technical surveillance for the suspects, one of them, 55-year-old Adebowale Sanni, was reportedly traced to Ikeji Arakeji in Osun State, where he was promptly apprehended.

According to Oyeyemi, on interrogation, Sanni confessed being on the trail of Mrs Olusola Roseline Ajayi Smith on the order of Larry Adebayo Adewumi the ring leader, whose wife, Olufunmilayo was an employee of Otunba Ajayi.

“He confessed further that it was Larry who described the location of the victim’s hotel and his other business outfits to him with instruction that if they succeeded in kidnapping the woman and her son, the two of them must be killed after collecting ransom in order not to leave any traces, just as they did to her husband two years ago,” Oyeyemi stated.

His confession, led to the arrest of Olufunmilayo and her husband.

Oyeyemi disclosed that Larry, an indigene of Ilesha Osun State, was once a fraudster before he moved into full-time kidnapping business.

“His modus operandi was to scout for a rich victim, after which he will mobilize the gang working for him to go after such a person,” Oyeyemi said.

Larry, he added, got full information about the late Otunba Ajayi Smith through Olufunmilayo, who was the deceased’s Manager.

Police investigation has revealed that Larry has two bank accounts, “where he used to keep money realized from his criminal activities.”

Oyeyemi disclosed that the suspect has a Jaiz Bank account number, 0010913206, with the sum of N34,953,455. His Access Bank account also has a sum of N4,576,846.

Also recovered from him is a 2014 model Toyota Highlander.

While commending the police team, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Lanre Bankole, directed that other members of the gang be hunted for and brought to book.

He also directed that the suspects be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.