On January 19, assassins numbering at least four murdered Yomi Ojonla Adetula, the director, Anti-Arms Smuggling of the Social Orientation and Safety (So-Safe) Corps in Ogun State, at his church in Idi-Iroko, Ogun State. The police have arrested one suspect so far in connection with the killing of Adetula, who was listed as a star witness in a libel suit filed by Ibrahim Dende Egungbohun, alias IBD Dende, against FIJ following investigations into his smuggling and cross-border criminal operations. . In this interview, Folarin, the firstborn of the deceased, speaks with SODEEQ ATANDA on who his father was, how his killers infiltrated the church and the police investigation into his death.
Who was Yomi Adetula?
He was my father and I am his firstborn. He was a pastor and founder of Hebrew Cathedral, a Celestial Church of Christ church at Idi-Iroko, a border community where smugglers freely operate. He was also an assistant commandant at So-Safe, a community-led security initiative to combat smuggling and armed robberies in the community.
He was 59 years of age when he was killed. He was a firm and compassionate father and helpful to people around him. He was our breadwinner and one of the supportive members of the Adetula family. A lot of people depended on him to feed and survive. His impact is beyond what I can do justice to in words.
How did his murder happen?
On that fateful day, I received a phone call from a prophetess at his church around 11 am that my father had been assassinated by some gunmen. I started crying on the phone. She said two of the killers came into the church wearing white garments, pretending as first comers who wanted to start worshipping in the church.
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The bus used to convey Yomi’s body from the scene.
My father welcomed them pleasantly with smiles and prayers, and they took their seat. He never knew they came to kill him. While church service was about to kick off, these killers rolled up their garments and brought a gun and a harmer. They hit him on the head and he lost his balance as he attepted to run away. As he was about to step out of the church entrance, two other persons who masked their faces fired shots all over his body.
They also shot into the air to scare people away. According to the people who talked with me, about six bullets were shot at him.
With tears in my eyes, I rushed to the church. I met his body on the ground. Pieces of his brain, eyeballs, jaws and cheeks littered the ground. I managed to pick them up in the church compound and took him to a mortuary.
We have successfully done an autopsy on his body. The pathologist who handled it said the result would be ready in the next two weeks.
Can you think of any past event that you could link to his murder?
Yes. But first of all, I want to thank the Ogun State police for what they have done so far. According to them, they have a suspect in their custody. The name of the suspect is Opeoluwa Fasola, known as ‘Ope Ilashe’ and ‘Oluaye’, who is from Ilashe town in the Ipokia Local Government area of the state.
Back to past events. I learnt from some of my father’s colleagues at So-Safe that Opeoluwa had requested for my father’s pictures from one of them some weeks before the incident. The person asked what he needed the pictures for and he said he needed it for a church programme. The person did not give him. Instead, he told him [Opeoluwa] to ask for it directly, after all they were friends.
I was also told that the suspect had gone to the church on Friday, just two days before his murder, with a stranger. But my father read bad meaning to that encounter. What I could deduce from his visit to the church with the stranger is that they were probably there so that the stranger could see my dad properly and be able to identify him.
After his arrest, he confirmed to the police that he asked for his pictures from the man. He claimed that the pictures were needed for a programme at his church. The police invited some leaders of the church and they denied needing my dad’s picture for any reason and that if they needed it, they knew him and would have collected it from him without any intermediary or through the backdoor.
How is the family faring after his death?
We don’t have anybody to stand for us. We don’t have money to prosecute this case to get justice for my dad. Some of my younger siblings are still in primary and secondary schools. Who will cater for them? I want Nigerians to help us to bring the suspect and his collaborators who are at large to book. My dad’s soul is demanding justice. The family is demanding justice. We want help.
The suspect must name all his collaborators and the police should go after all of them. The process might be painstaking, but they should pursue all of them and so that they can have their day in court.
Do you think the murderers might have other accomplices?
I heard that Opeoluwa had mentioned about three names, but I don’t want to mention those names. The police are on the case and they are tracking them.
When the police arrested the suspect, he was boasting that there was nothing they could do to him except they would meet him in “Abuja”. He used “Abuja” in that context to show his connection to powerful people at the power corridor.
The people behind this whole crime are people who considered my dad a threat to their smuggling network. These people belong to the same camp. There was a time when cultists were brutally attacking people in Idi-Iroko and he needed the cooperation of Customs officers to rein them in. He went out one night and met some Customs officers collaborating with smugglers to operate. He challenged those officers but they later reported him to their bosses, claiming that he was impeding their official duties.
Because of that, they arrested him. They first took him to Ikeja Customs office and then to their headquarters in Abuja. In total, he spent 17 days in detention. Upon his return from Abuja, he became more influential.
At this point, let me state that my dad was also into smuggling. Because of his new connections in the Customs, top smugglers who saw him as a threat were forced to relate with him in order to carry out their operations. Instead of them dominating the smuggling space, they were to be alternating it with my dad. One day, the smugglers held a meeting and resolved to give my dad N50 million for them operate against the spirit of the arrangement but he rejected it. I think that was why they sponsored people who assassinated him.
Do you suspect that those top smugglers might be attempting to wield their influence in this case?
Some police sources told me that some top, wealthy smugglers have been calling and visiting the Ogun State Police Command at Eleweeran to seek the suspect’s release.
They are doing all they can to compromise the process. I believe the police are doing their job, but I need to let the world know what is going on. My dad’s murderers are well-connected and have access to state powers and I have been reliably told that they are trying to scuttle investigation.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: IBD Dende Threatens to Kill Customs Officer for Seizing His Smuggled Goods
I heard that some smugglers from Ajilete, another border town in the state, recently visited the police command. Their mission was to negotiate the suspect’s release.
I was told that the police are now preparing to arraign the suspect in court. But I am afraid because if they don’t have enough information to prove the suspect’s involvement, the case might suffer in court.
The police have information about the two individuals the suspect said played a role in the murder, they should declare them wanted in national newspapers. I heard that one of them has travelled to Canada and the second one is in Nigeria but he is frequently changing his locations; he doesn’t spend more than 24 hours in a place. He is sleeping in different hotels each night. The one in Canada can be repatriated through INTERPOL. I am asking the police to gather irrefutable evidence before going to court because this case must not end up in a mess.
Editor Note: Odutola Omolola, the police spokesperson in the state, told FIJ on Tuesday that she could not comment on this story as the matter was still under investigation. “The case is under investigation. We acknowledge the sensitivity of the case further response may jeopardize investigations,” she said.
The post INTERVIEW: How Assassins Disguised As Worshippers Murdered Yomi Adetula, the Witness Who Was to Testify Against IBD Dende appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.