Police discover in-house conspiracy in robbery, murder of Ogun accountant
Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, that disclosed that individuals believed to be within the organisation were responsible for the robbery and murder of Mr Taiwo Oyekanmi, the Director of Finance in Governor Dapo Abiodun’s office.
Neptune Prime reports that Oyekanmi was fatally shot while returning from a bank, where he had withdrawn funds for the state using a bullion van.
In a telephone interview with PUNCH Online, Alamutu expressed concern about the premeditated nature of the robbery and murder, highlighting the assailants’ possession of a sledgehammer to breach the bullion van.
READ ALSO: Gunmen in Ogun attack government’s bullion van, kill accountant, steal millions
He stated, “From the information we have, it is obvious that it was premeditated. It was an in-house (thing). We have this feeling because, how did they know that they would need a hammer to break the receptacle?
Alamutu further revealed that the armed robbers, who arrived in a Toyota Corolla with concealed identities, appeared to have been well-informed about Oyekanmi’s plans to withdraw a significant amount of money.
The deceased had visited Fidelity Bank and Sterling Bank in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, to withdraw N97.335 million and N15 million, respectively. The robbers intercepted the bullion van on the Kuto flyover, using a sledgehammer to access the N112.335 million it carried.
The Police Commissioner confirmed that the bullion van lacked police escort during the incident. Inspector Rasheed Adegbite, the assigned mobile police officer, was arrested for unauthorised travel, leaving the van unprotected.
Reactions to the tragic event include calls for a reassessment of security measures.
Legal practitioner Femi Aina criticised the decision to send Oyekanmi without a police escort, describing it as a “killer errand.” Aina urged the Commissioner of Finance to reconsider his position.
National Secretary of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Olaposi Oginni, pointed to a security lapse in Ogun State and called for a change in leadership within the state’s security agencies.
