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Police arrest killers of Pa Fasoranti’s daughter, Funke, 9 months after
BY OUR REPORTER
The police have paraded four men suspected to have killed Mrs Funke Olakunrin, daughter of the leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasorantin.
Mrs Olakunrin was killed July 12, 2019 by persons suspected to be armed Fulani herdsmen along the Ondo-Ore road, Ondo State.
Her death generated national outrage, leading to what is today known as Amotekun, a South-Western regional security collaboration among the six Yoruba speaking states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states, in Nigeria.
The suspects, according to a statement issued Thursday in Abuja by the Force PRO, DCP Frank Mba are: Lawal Mazaje, 40 years old from Felele area of Kogi State; Adamu Adamu, 50, from Jada area of Adamawa State; Mohammed Shehu Usman, 26, from Illela area of Sokoto State and Auwal Abubakar, 25, from Shinkafi area of Zamfara State.
Following the murder, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu, had deployed the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), CP Fimihan Adeoye, to coordinate the team of Police Special Forces and seasoned investigators from the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), Federal SARS, Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU) from the Force Headquarters, Abuja to arrest perpetrators of the killing and bring them to justice.
READ: Suspected armed Fulani herdsmen kill daughter of Afenifere leader, Fasoranti
Mba described how the suspects were arrested thus: “After months of relentless efforts to apprehend the killers, the Police Team, on 4th March, 2020 during a follow-up action on a case of a high-profile armed robbery and kidnap for ransom that occurred in Ogun State, arrested one Auwal Abubakar ‘m’ 25yrs, an accessory after the fact of the crime, along Sagamu-Ore expressway in Ondo State. The arrest of Auwal Abubakar led to the arrest of two (2) other members of the gang, Mohammed Shehu Usman and Lawal Mazaje in Benin, Edo State from whom cache of ammunition was recovered and one other Adamu Adamu in Akure, Ondo State.
“Having established sufficient physical and forensic evidence linking the suspects to the killing of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, the investigators, determined to clear all doubts relating to their findings, on 8th April, 2020, conducted an Identification Parade at the Federal SARS Headquarters, Lagos which led to the positive and physical identification of three (3) suspects, Adamu Adamu, Lawal Mazaje and Mohammed Shehu Usman by a survivor of the earlier crime. The survivor gave a clear description of the roles each of the identified suspects played in the killing. At this point, the suspects capitulated and voluntarily offered a no-holds-barred confession on how Mrs Funke Olakunrin was killed.”
He further explained that, “Investigations so far reveal that the operation that led to the killing was carried out by eight (8) fully armed kidnap/robbery suspects led by one Tambaya (other name unknown) who is currently at large. While four (4) of the suspects (mentioned above) are in custody, effort is being intensified to arrest the four (4) others still on the run. The 8-man gang has their operational base and membership spread in the south-western part of the country and Edo State. “Investigations have also revealed that they are responsible for series of high-profile armed robbery and kidnap operations in the region. They also attack, vandalise and steal components of critical national infrastructures such as electrical and telecommunications installations.
READ: Funke Fasoranti: Police asked us for N1,000 to buy fuel – Driver
“Consequently, the Inspector General of Police hereby declares the principal suspect, Tambaya (other names unknown) wanted for his involvement in the death of Mrs Funke Olakunrin. Tambaya, a Nigerian, speaks Hausa, Fulfulde and Pidgin English languages. He is fair in complexion and in his late 20s – between the age of 27 and 30. His last known address is Isanlu, Kogi State. He has visible scar from stitches on his forehead down to his nose and mouth.”
The Force PRO expressed the appreciation of the IGP to Nigerians for their patience and support to the Police throughout the period of the investigations into the unfortunate incident assuring that the suspects will be diligently prosecuted on completion of investigations and that the police will not relent until every member of the gang, still at large, is arrested and brought to book.