From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Police yesterday paraded 20 suspects alleged to be the masterminds of the crisis that rocked Ile-Ife, on March, 8, where over 46 people were murdered and 96 others injured.
They were paraded at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The suspects, including a female, Kuburat Oluwole, who was alleged to be brain behind the crisis, were also paraded along with weapons that includes Axes, machetes, clubs, knives and other dangerous objects.
Police said out of the 38 suspects arrested, 20 were found culpable for direct and indirect participation in the killing of innocent people, maiming and destruction of property worth millions of naira, while the remaining 18 suspects have been released unconditionally for lack of prima facie evidence against them.
All those arrested were indigenes of Ile-Ife, while all the Hausas, were discharged and acquitted.
Some of the suspects paraded are; Eluwole Akeem, Eluwole Kuburat, Ayoola Abimbola, Bello Wahab, Prophet Taiwo Fakuwajo, Oba Ademola Ademiluyu, Elufisan Akintoye, Peter Omisope, Adefisan Isaac and Adelekan Kehinde. Others are: “Elufisan Akintoye, Omisanmi Isaac, Olarewaju Daniel, Seyi Akinyombo, Adejube Monday,
Olarewaju Adebayo, Akanbi Adeyinka, Obimakinde Samuel, Alhaji Zakariyau Abdulyekini, Bamidele Elusanmi, Jimoh Sakiru and Clement Kehinde.
Parading the suspects Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Moshood Jimoh, said the suspects were arrested after a painstaking investigation carried out by police special intervention force, comprising.
The FPRO, who gave a background of what led to the crisis, said: “On Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at about 2010hrs, one Alh. Nasiru Abdul Magaji ‘m’ of no. 50, Sabo Street, Ile-Ife, Osun State reported at Moore Police Station that one Oba Ademola Ademiluyi ‘m, the Lawarikan of Apoje land, one Eluwole Akeem ‘m’ (a.k.a Escort) and Kuburat wife of Eluwole Akeem ‘Escort’ all of Ile-Ife, brought some hoodlums with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons to attack the Hausas resident at Sabo area of Ile Ife over a fight between one Abubakar Mohammed of Sabo and Kuburat the wife of Eluwole Akeem ‘Escort’. The affray which arose from an altercation between the said Kuburat and Mohammed, was amicably settled on Monday, March 6, 2017.
According to him, “based on the report at the Moore Police Station, a case of conduct likely to cause breach of peace was made against the duo of Kuburat and Mohammed and on getting to the scene; the Police team met two groups comprising the Hausas and the Yorubas throwing stones at each other. The riotous groups were dispersed and calm was restored. The police teams maintained presence at Sabo area of Ile Ife up till the next day. Unexpectedly, on Wednesday March 8, 2017, the peace of the area was shattered with the eruption of crisis that led to the gruesome killings of 46 people.