The fleeing suspect, John, was said to have invited his friend, Idris Alaba to a party, but later tricked into him a forest, where he used a plank to smash his head. The man died instantly.
The murder of Alaba was later discovered after police arrested the two children of John, just as they had packed their belongings and were about to run away from the community.
According to residents at Ibafo, Obafemi Owode Local Government, Ogun State, where the incident happened, the deceased was the head of the vigilante group in the area.
The suspect’s children said they overheard their dad, telling somebody that Alaba was disturbing their business in the community. Alaba’s journey to the grave started on May 3, 2015 after John invited him to a party in Shagamu.
The two men left the resident of Alaba at Ajemobi Street, and rode on a motorbike to the supposed function.
The family of the deceased however became worried when the night was far gone and their father did not come home. Anxious they called his line, but it was switched off, they now called the phone of his friend. John told them that he left Alaba at the party.
A family friend said: “The kids of Alaba said they were worried after speaking with John. He was the one that took their father to the party. They were also worried about the brusque way John spoke to them.”
A member of Alaba’s community said: “Immediately we rushed to John’s home, along Ebute Ojora Road. We were shocked to find John’s two kids armed with their luggage. It was clear they were running away. We apprehended and handed them over to the policemen at Ibafo Police Station.”
One of John’s kids, simply identified as David pleaded for mercy from the angry residents. “The kids said they overheard their father saying the late vigilante man was disturbing them from carrying out their business in the community. He said they would deal with him.”
One of the members of the vigilante group in the community, Mr. Amos Omoedo, said: “The children of the deceased called me and some other members of the group on Monday morning that they had been searching for their father since Sunday. It when we got to Ibafo Police Station with family members of our boss, that the children of the suspect told the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) that their father took the victim to Makun Forest in Sagamu.”
Local vigilante members from Ibafo, Abeokuta and Sagamu, moblised and went straight to the forest.
Omoedo recounted: “When we got to the forest, it took us hours before we could enter the forest. The first thing we noticed in the forest was the foot path they took. We saw the motorbike tracks. We followed the tracks and traced the victim. We found him dead. The plank used in smashing his head was beside him.”
