Ekiti Vigilante Leader Arrested for Allegedly Torturing Man to Death

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The leader of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Ekiti chapter, Mr.Femi Ogunleye, is now cooling his feet in the police net for allegedly arresting and torturing a man identified as Oke to death.

Ogunleye, 43, fondly called Akilapa by his admirers, was arrested on Monday by the police who searched the culprit’s hideout and found a dead body that was being prepared for burial.

The police’s investigation revealed that Ogunleye and three others namely: Simon Oluwaghohunmi, 35; Muhammadu Saradeen, 36; Ojo Muri, 30; Peace Okon, 44; Sola Sunday, 20; and Ogunleye Onaopemipo, 20, had accosted the victim at Post Office area on July 29 and took him to his house where he was allegedly tortured to death.

Giving explanations on the fact of the case in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday,the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, ASP Caleb Ikechukwu, said the suspected gang were also charged for cultism and unlawful arrest of innocent Nigerians.

Ikechukwu said the victim was unlawfully arrested on July 29 and operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), who got wind of the incident stormed Ogunleye’s house located on Omisanjana road in Ado Ekiti capital, where the dead body was found and a tomb that had been dug for its interment within the premises of the building.

The PPRO added that also recovered as exhibits were: one pump action gun Breech number 000574 loaded with seven live cartridges, police belt, three cutlasses, one long stick, one sword, three battle axes, one iron road carved like local gun, Ifa divination tool and a mini laptop .

Ikechukwu said the victim’s body had been deposited at the mortuary of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital for autopsy while investigation into the case continues.

“Upon further investigation, particularly when the operatives of the SARS stormed Ogunleye’s hideout, the suspects were found involvingin unlawful arrest and torture of one Oke, whose surname and address are yet to be known which resulted to his death at the suspects’ hideout located at Omisanjana area of Ado Ekiti.

“The corpse was recovered therein on June 30 at about 5am anddeposited at EKSUTH’s morgue for autopsy. Apart from those exhibitspolice discovered, a shallow grave already dug was discovered by theteam of SARS operatives within the premises of Ogunleye’s residence with a plot to bury the corpse of the deceased before the incident was
unravelled by the police.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to have accosted the deceased on July 29 at about 1am at the Post Office Area on the pretext of being a thief. Later, the victim died in their custody at about 8am of the same day having been tortured and inflicted with severe machete cut injuries on his body.”

Ikechukwu added that the suspects had earlier been involved in shooting incident where one Adebayo Ayomide and a yet-to-be identified victim were shot and are now receiving medical treatments at EKSUTH.

The police spokesman alleged that the suspects had been the criminal gang terrorising Ado Ekiti and its environs in cultist related activities and other crimes in recent time.

He promised that police are still investigating the matter with theintention of unravelling more facts about the cases linked to the suspects.