Police arrests killers of Fasoranti’s daughter Funke

Police operatives have arrested the killers of Funke Olakunrin, daughter of the leader of the Yoruba Afenifere group, Reuben Fasoranti.

The arrested persons are Lawal Mazaje, Adamu Adamu, Mohammed Shehu Usman and Auwal Abubakar.

Spokesman to police Frank Mba in a statement narrated how the security operatives arrested the murderers of Funke who died in July 2019.

He said a team of police officers on March 4, 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 a 25-year-old Auwal Abubakar after a crime, along Sagamu-Ore expressway in Ondo State.

Abubakar’s arrest, Mba said, led to the arrest of two (2) other members of the gang, Mohammed Shehu Usman and Lawal Mazaje in Benin, Edo State from whom some ammunition were 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 police spokesman said investigators on April 8 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,” Mba said.

“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, Mba said efforts 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.

Consequently, the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu has declared the principal suspect, Tambaya wanted for his involvement in the death of Mrs Funke Olakunrin. Tambaya, a Nigerian, speaks Hausa, Fulfulde and Pidgin English languages.