Cassava thief allegedly hacks farmer to death in Ogun

• Police arrest two suspected brothers for armed robbery

Ogun State police command yesterday paraded a 33-year-old man, Azeez Kilani, who allegedly stole cassava tubers and subsequently killed the farm owner, David Adima, at Sojulu village, Ibogun in Ifo Local Council of the state.

Kilani reportedly murdered the victim shortly after the suspect had uprooted one sack of cassava tubers and was about taking it away. He was paraded alongside 42 other suspects by the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, at the State Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.

They were paraded for various crimes, ranging from armed robbery, kidnapping, and child trafficking among others.Iliyasu said the cassava thief decided to murder the deceased to cover up his track, “having realized he is well known to him,” but the suspect denied hacking the deceased to death.

Kilani explained that he wrestled with the victim, who was using his cutlass to beat him, and in the process, the cutlass hit the deceased in the neck, fainted and died afterward. The suspect said he gave Adima, who hailed from Benue State, the piece of land where which he planted the cassava.

“He met me in his farm uprooting his cassava, but I begged him not to report me to the Village Head (Baale). He was armed with cutlass and he used the cutlass to beat me, but I resisted. I dragged the cutlass with him and in the process, the cutlass hit him in the neck and he fainted. He later died on the farmland,” Kilani said.

Among the suspects was one Paul Alanla, who was arrested for alleged human trafficking, involving six children who he brought from Cross River State for child labour. The children are Promise Augustine, 13; Elijah Emmanuel, seven; Moses Kariel, 12; Victor Daniel, eight; Glory Emmanuel, nine; and Felicia Owu, 12.

But the suspect denied being a trafficker, saying he made arrangements with all the parents of the children before bringing them down to Ogun State.
Meanwhile, the FCT police command said it has arrested two suspected brothers who specialise in car snatching from cab operators in the FCT. The suspects are Solomon Manger, 26 and Isaac Manger, 22 of Koti, Kwande Local Council of Benue State.

A statement signed by FCT Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Manzah, yesterday said the suspects were arrested last week Thursday around 9:20p.m. by operatives attached to Asokoro Division at Abacha Barracks overhead bridge en-route Kuruduma village, hours after the duo had robbed one of their victims of his black Honda Accord car.

“Following their arrest, the suspects confessed to have sold a Honda Accord car they had snatched a day before the arrest for N40,000 to their cohort who is currently on the run. Meanwhile, the black Honda Accord with reg. no. AW 11 YAB has been recovered and the owner contacted.

Manzah noted that the FCT Commissioner of Police, Musa Kimo, enjoined all taxi drivers in the Federal Capital Territory on the need to be vigilant and alert when picking passengers.