Ondo Robbery: Victim’s Family Accuses Police of Complicity
Fidelis David in Akure
The family of one of the victims of robbery incident in Idanre town in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State, Tolulope Alalabiaye, has appealed to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Oyeyemi Oyediran, to avoid wasting time on the prosecution of one of the suspects who was arrested over the incident.
Babatunde Adeoye, popularly known as ‘Para’, believed to be a supporter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who recently shot four people at Ojota area in Odode- Idanre, Idanre LGA, was arrested and paraded by the state Police Command last week.
Some days after the parade of the suspect, the family said the police allegedly refused to charge the suspect to court.
The state police commissioner, while parading the suspect in Akure, the state capital, said: “On August 16, 2022, a complainant reported that a group of boys numbering about five led by one Babatunde Adeoye (Para) shot and robbed him of his bag containing a large sum of money.”
Oyediran, who said efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the gang, said the suspect would soon be arraigned soon.
Speaking on the incident, the mother of the victim, Mrs. Tola Aladenola, alleged that the state Police Command was under pressure to release the suspect without charging him to court.
She said: “We want to appeal to the Commissioner of Police to go ahead and prosecute this man (suspect) because we learned that the command is under intense pressure from ‘the power that be’ to release the suspect secretly.
“This may be responsible for why the suspect has not been arraigned in spite of the overwhelming evidence and the confession of the suspect himself that he actually committed the crime.
“We want justice to be done, as we have spent a lot in treating my son, and nobody has come to our rescue. We are demanding justice.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, denied the allegation, saying the suspect would soon be charged to court.
The PPRO said: “The allegation is not true; the police are not under any pressure to release anybody, when it is time, all the suspects in custody will be charged to court after thorough investigation.”
