The Ondo State Police Command has verified the apprehension of three suspects linked to the purported killing of a naval officer named Akingbohunmi.
Local reports indicate that a group of thugs attacked the deceased on Monday following a disagreement he had with a commercial motorcyclist, commonly called ‘Okada’.
Upon being attacked, the late naval officer was rushed to the town’s hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead.
A reliable source within the community, who preferred anonymity, revealed that the suspects were apprehended in different places both inside and outside the town after community leaders organized a thorough search operation.
These leaders also visited the Naval School in Imeri, the officer’s place of assignment, and made a commitment to the school authorities to produce all the suspects within a 24-hour duration.
According to the source, one of the suspects was apprehended while trekking to Oka Akoko in the Akoko South West Local Government Area of the state in an attempt to evade arrest.
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Meanwhile, the second suspect was apprehended at his hiding place, which happened to be his residence. Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, the Police Public Relations Officer for the state, verified the arrest of the three suspects and mentioned that the police command was actively tracking down three more individuals who were complicit in the heinous crime.
‘Three of the suspects have been arrested and we are still on the trail of three others involved in the incident. The suspects will be transferred to the state headquarters soon,’ the PPRO said.
In the interim, a source revealed that a considerable number of adult males who had fled the town following the incident were still hesitant to come back to the community due to the fear of being arrested.
He added, ‘The whole town is deserted, and today (Wednesday) is the market day but no single soul is seen in the market over fear of reprisal attack from the navy men.’
‘But I can confirm to you that three of the suspects have been handed over to the police while efforts are ongoing to apprehend three others.’
Following the incident, the community has experienced a state of disorder, with individuals living in constant fear of being arrested by the police or attacked by unidentified assailants. Thus, maintain watchful eyes while safeguarding themselves as they hope for normalcy.
