The Lagos State Police Command have connected the main suspect in the murder of Chief Ignatius Odunukwe, a well-known Anambra businessman, to other crimes, including the murder of a commissioner from Bayelsa State.
The prime suspect, Bob Daniel Ibeaji, as shown in the picture, was presented on Tuesday by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Ahmed Iliyasu, together with his alleged accomplices: Arinze Igwe, 26; Solomon Cletus, 30, and Israel Obigaremu, 35.
During his address to the media about the arrest, AIG Iliyasu revealed that through the investigation, Ibeaji, who claimed to be a medical doctor, had been associated with two other incidents. One such incident involved the murder of a commissioner in Bayelsa State, Honourable Depologa, whose remains were discovered along the Abuja Expressway.
“This occurred a week after his meeting with the victim at Ibeto Hotel, Abuja. During their discussion, he offered to give the victim N220 million for a block of flat located at Durumi, Abuja. Depologa was later found murdered along the Abuja Expressway,’ AIG Iliyasu stated.
He also disclosed that a second victim, Jude Efule, a property developer in Abuja, narrowly escaped being killed. Ibeaji had held him captive in an apartment, coercing him to sign a document transferring ownership of his property before being apprehended by the police and remanded in Kuje Prison.
While in Kuje prison, Abuja, Ibeaji met his accomplice, Cletus, and discussed their plans. Cletus revealed that he was lured into the scheme with the promise of a N2 million loan.
Describing the events leading to the killing of Chief Odunukwe, Ibeaji recounted how he conspired with the others to execute the deed at Artican Beach Resort, Ajah, Lagos state on December 1, 2019. Their motive was to take over his N900 million property in Abuja.
He further revealed, ”I lured Odunukwe into my hotel room through a fake N900 million business deal. That Sunday afternoon, when I was sure he was on his way to Artican Resort Hotel, I instructed one of my boys to bring a bag for me. After he signed the documents of the building in question in the garden, I told him to come inside the hotel room so as to give him the money. But when he came I started shouting on him to hand the documents over to me but he insisted I must first pay. At that point, one of my colleagues brought the bag and as Chief bent down to check the money inside, with the help of Igwe and Cletus, I was able to distract him and hit him on the head using the butt of an axe. After then, we dragged him to the toilet and I injected him twice with shots from a lethal injection. His body was later cut into pieces and dumped somewhere at Ogunbo Forest, in Ajah.”
He added, “I wanted to use the document to claim the property as mine and later sell it.”
Ibeaji mentioned that Igwe, a resort staff member, facilitated their successful escape from the hotel due to his knowledge of its layout. On the other hand, Israel Obigaremu, the Uber driver, claimed he was unwittingly involved as Arinze parked the deceased car in his compound.
The body of the deceased, which was mutilated, was found by Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS) operatives of the Zone 2 Command in a canal in Ogombo forest along Ajah road. His 4-Runner SUV was traced to Artican Beach Resort.
The AIG stated that the four suspects would be charged to court and face the full extent of the law. The police also evacuated the remains of the deceased into Braingrace Ambulance for a befitting burial.