Wife of Slain King Freed; Others Abducted Also Released, Multiple Arrests Made
The Kwara State Joint Security team have arrested those who killed Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti in the Ekiti Local Government Area.
The Security team also arrested the leader of kidnap syndicate terrorising Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara states, one Pa Olowofela in Ekiti State and also freed the monarch’s wife and those abducted with her.
Olowofela, an octogenarian, is based in Igbara Odo, Ekiti State with a chain of business enterprise cutting across the state, including a sawmill in Irele, the axis where the nefarious activities of the abductors is most pronounced..
He was arrested by a combine team of security apparatus from Kwara State, who stormed, Ijowa Ekiti, in Ajoni Local Council Development Area (LCDA), this morning and dispatch a team to effect his arrest from his Igbara Odo abode.
It was joy mixed with shock when Olowofela was brought to Ijowa by the detached team in cuffs as villagers expressed surprise that he could be linked with the dreaded activities that have formed the nightmare of the people overtime.
It was gathered that Olowofela and his gang are responsible for the recent killings of the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsakin, the Olumojo of Imojo Ekiti, Oba Samuel Olatunde Olusola and the Olukoro of Ikoro, Kwara State, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole.
Fresh facts have emerged that the killers of the Olukoro of Koro in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, perfected the murder plot in a pub, popularly called beer parlour, in the town.
Oba Aremu-Cole, a retired senior military officer, was shot dead on Thursday night by the assailants, who invaded his palace, and his wife and two natives who live near the palace were whisked away to an unknown destination.
He was crowned in 2017 and he would have been 66 this year as he was born in 1958.
It was gathered that the killers also lured a salesgirl at the pub to lead them to the palace, which is located in the area.
A source in Koro, who did not want his name in print, confided in Fidelinfo News on Friday that when the assailants arrived in the town on Thursday evening, they settled in the pub to take some drinks.
The source stated, “After spending several hours at the relaxation centre and being good customers, they now asked the salesgirl to lead them to the palace to pay obeisance to the monarch and discuss the progress of the town.
“The girl ignorantly led the three men to the palace to see the monarch and went back to continue her work at the joint.”
Another native of Koro, Funsho Akorede, said the monarch had just returned from a journey and was relaxing when the gunmen attacked him.
He added that following the killing, a team of soldiers had been dispatched to comb forests in Kwara and neighbouring Kogi and Ekiti states to smoke out the assailants.
The immediate junior brother to the monarch, Mr Adelaja Aremu, on Friday, narrated how gunmen killed the Oba.
Adelaja, who spoke in a telephone interview with Fidelinfo News, noted that the assailants shot his brother dead for refusing to follow their orders to stand up and come with them.
He said, “I am his immediate younger brother and I live very close to the village. Immediately gunshots were heard in the palace, I was contacted and told the gunshots.
“They (gunmen) came into the palace and met him (the monarch) and asked him to stand up. They wanted to abduct him. He refused to get up, saying that nobody could command him like that. He refused to take orders from unknown people, so they shot in the air to scare him but he wasn’t afraid.
“Of course, they knew that they met a stubborn person and that was how they shot him. This was what the houseboy told us. He (houseboy) bolted out of the palace through the back door when my brother was shot, but he saw all that transpired.”
Olowofela’s arrest came after the apprehension of one Baboga Alhaji, one of the suspected kidnappers responsible for the killing of the three traditional rulers recently.
Also arrested was the person who wanted to receive ransom for the kidnappers and thirteen other suspects.
It was gathered that the gunmen had reached out to the monarch’s family over the weekend for payment of N100m ransom, which was later reduced to N40m for the release of the two captives.
The suspect was apprehended in Eruku town in the same local government area on Sunday.
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