The family of the former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Professor Albert Ilemobade are currently having a hard time to recover from the shock over his gruesome murder by his domestic staff.
It was reported earlier that he was abducted by some unknown gunmen, but has now been revealed that he was killed by his security guard, Daniel Ita from Cross Rivers State and his former driver, Olayemi Bamitale from Ekiti at his residence in Ijapo Estate, Akure.
The culprits were today paraded by men of the Ondo State Police Command after they were arrested at Ilotin in Ijebu-Ode.
DAILY POST observes that the police Headquarters was besieged by his family members, members of the of Archbishop of Vining College Theology, Akure, where the deceased was a member and representative of Imade College, Owo old students Association.
They were all at the police headquarters to have a glimpse of the two suspected murderers who killed the 78 year-old man.
It was earlier reported that the decomposed body of the octogenarian who was believed to have been abducted by unknown gunmen penultimate Sunday was found in an abandoned store in his house.
Bamitale who is about 36 years was said to have been sacked by the late Ilemobade after he allegedly stole the same Toyota RAV4 Jeep, belonging to the Professor, and returned after four days with the same car.
The suspect was said to have been detained in police custody before sympathizers appealed to the deceased to grant him bail.
Despite his sack Bamitale was said to have always been in contact with the late Ilemobade security guard on how they will steal the car again.
Bamitale, who spoke with reporters said the late University Don had always been nice to him and Daniel.
He explained that Daniel contacted him one day and told him that he had contacted his herbalist on how to steal the car without leading them to any trouble.
The sacked driver said, “After he told me about his herbalist on phone, Daniel asked me to come to the House at Ijapo estate on Sunday by 9pm. When I got to the place, he told me that he had met his herbalist who told him that if we wanted to take that car, we must ensure we kill Baba and that he must take away some sand from that house so that there won’t be any problem after they might have killed him.
“When I asked him that how are we going to call the Prof. who is already sleeping outside? Daniel said he would lure Baba to the security room that there is a power surge and from there we will strangle him to death. And from there we will be able to come into his room and take whatever we want, since Mama, who is the wife of the deceased is in another room and she won’t hear any sound.
“He went to Baba’s sitting room and called him that there was a power surge, and Baba passed through the kitchen to the security room. It was there that we grabbed his neck until he stopped breathing. We took him to a store beside his car park and dumped his body there. We put a picture on his chest so that if the body is later found, they will think that it was those who killed him that dropped the picture.
” When we entered his room, we saw the car key and N7000 with his laptop and two phones. Daniel locked the entrance gate from outside and we went away with the Rav 4. When we were about leaving the Ijapo Estate, in Akure, the Police Officers at the gate of the estate, saw Daniel, and allowed us to pass. That was around 11pm.
“We slept at Alagbaka because Daniel’s brother who lived at Arakale in Akure refused to pick up his phone. The following morning, Daniel asked us to take the car to Calabar but I told him that the N7000 with us is not enough to buy fuel to take us to Calabar. We agreed to take the Car to Lagos. But when I explained the circumstances surrounding the car to those I know in Lagos, they all said they can’t buy it.
“We left the place for Ijebu-Ode. It was then, the Road Safety officers arrested us that we didn’t have the car documents. They took the car to a nearby police station where we were directed to pay N3000 at First Bank. There was no money on us again, and when it was the second day, we took the laptop and the two phones to Epe if we could get buyers in order to secure the release of the car.
“When we moved round, we were told that the phones have security codes and unless we flash them, but they later explained to us the danger the phones may face if we flash them.
“When Daniel saw one of his kinsmen, the guy agreed to buy the phones and he gave us N3000 so that we could secure the release of the seized car. I went to First bank to pay the money and we took the teller to the Road Safety office. We were given a letter which we took to the police station and they released the car for us.
“We later returned to Ijebu Ode. It was the person I contacted at Ilotin in Ijebu-Ode who called the police and we were arrested”.
But Daniel denied that he was the architect of the killing, blaming Bamitale for luring him to the evil business which took the life their boss.
The security guard narrated that the said herbalist was treating him for hernia disease and just of recent, the late Professor gave him N5000 for the treatment.
The State Commissioner of Police, Isaac Eke said they received information from Ogun State Police Command that the Professor’s night security guard, one Daniel Ita and his former Driver had been arrested with the deceased red Toyota Rav 4 Jeep with Registration Number GGE-589-CF.
Eke described the incident as traumatic and sad, saying the security guard was the evil in the criminal act.
The Commissioner noted that the trick by the suspects, where they dropped the slippers and wrist watch of the Professor at the entrance of the gate, made the police and the family to believe that he was kidnapped.
“We were told he was murdered by the people he fed on daily basis. I want to appeal to our people to always know the background of those they want to employ as domestic workers or they should contact the police to help in conducting the investigation,” he said.
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