Ogun State Police Command has arrested all suspects involved in the killing of a couple, Kehinde and Bukola Fatinoye, on January 1, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The killers also murdered their only surviving son, Oreoluwa Fatinoye, who was thrown into a river alongside an adopted son. The adopted son later escaped from the river.

The news of the arrest was confirmed by the Command's Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi.

Oyeyemi confirmed to HorizonTimes that three persons involved in the killing, including a prime suspect who escaped from police custody, Lekan Adekanbi, have been arrested by the police.

After killing the couple, the assailants burnt their remains and house, located within the Ibara Government Reservation Area, Abeokuta.

Kehinde worked with the Central Bank of Nigeria, while his wife, Bukola, worked with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

The three killers; Lekan Adekanbi, Ahmed Odetola and Waheed Adeniji, according to the police, connived to kill Fatinoye couple and their only surviving son, Oreoluwa on the new year eve in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

While parading the suspects on Friday, the Ogun state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed that, Adekanbi confessed to have led other killers into the house of Fatinoye.

Adekanbi, who has been the driver of the couple since 2018 was said to have alleged that the couple refused to increase his salary and help him with a loan.

The Police said the initial arrest of Adekanbi was on circumstantial evidence until he ran away from police custody and escaped to a place in Iseyin, Oyo State.

According to the PPRO, Adekanbi was later arrested from a hideout in Abeokuta after his brother in Iseyin was interrogated.

Adekanbi and his gang, the PPRO said, decided to kill the couple after the couple transferred over One Million Naira into Adekanbi’s account and the couple could recognize the account number supplied.

“In the course of investigation, one Lekan Adekanbi, a driver to the deceased family, was arrested based on circumstantial evidence, while investigation continues.

“The arrested suspect Lekan Adekanbi suddenly collapsed in the cell on the 2nd of January 2023, and he was rushed to the hospital for medical care.

“But while in the hospital receiving treatment, he suddenly jumped from the bed and escaped through the fence of the hospital. His escape further confirmed the police suspicion of his involvement in the case.

“There and then, the Commissioner of Police ordered the State anti kidnapping unit to join forces with the homicide unit in order to get the escaped driver and his accomplices arrested.

“The two teams, in compliance with the CP’s directive, embarked on technical and intelligence driven investigation and traced the movement of the suspect to his elder brother in Iseyin, Oyo State, but he had left the place before the arrival of the police.

“The teams further intensified their efforts which yielded positive results, when Lekan Adekanbi was apprehended in his hideout somewhere in Abeokuta on the 21st of January 2023.

“On interrogation, Lekan Adekanbi who has been the couple’s driver since 2018 confessed to being the mastermind of the dastardly act. He stated that he invited the other two suspects Ahmed Odetola a.k.a Akamo and Waheed Adeniyi a.k.a  Koffi to come and join him in order to rob the couple.

“He confessed further that he took the step because the couple refused to increase his salary, and that he approached them for loan to buy motorcycle, but they didn’t oblige him.”

“Since Lekan realized that his identity has been known through his bank account, he decided with others to terminate the life of the couple, consequent upon which Waheed Adeniyi a.k.a Koffi took a knife from their kitchen and slaughtered the husband Kehinde Fatinoye, while Lekan Adekanbi used sledge hammer he purposely brought for the operation to hit the wife Bukola Fatinoye on the head and she died on the spot.”

While speaking with journalists, all the suspects confessed to have participated in the killing of the couple.