A 20-year-old suspected ritual killer, Festus Simon, has been arrested by policemen in Ogun State Police Command.
Simon, who was accused of killing a 12-year-old boy in Ibadan, Oyo State with an accomplice, Biodun Owolabi, was nabbed on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.
Reporters At Large gathered that the police at Sotubo Division in Sagamu received information that the suspect fled Iyana Church area, Ibadan, to Simawa area of Ogun State, after the victim’s murder on Saturday, October 31.
According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, Simon had pretended to be looking for a job at Simawa area, in order to evade an arrest by the police.
The PPRO said: “Information revealed that the suspect had been on the wanted list of Oyo State Police Command, in connection with the killing of innocent 12-year-old boy, and his accomplice has been arrested.
“Acting on the information, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Sotubo Division, SP Samuel Adefolalu led his detectives to the suspect’s hiding place, where he was promptly arrested.”
DSP Oyeyemi stated further that the Oyo State Police Command had been contacted, so that the suspect would be transferred to them.
He reiterated the stance of the state Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, that Ogun State would not be allowed as a safe place for criminals.
But in an interview with Reporters At Large, Simon denied being part of any suspected killing, as he only went to the arrested suspect, Owolabi, to work as a labourer.
According to the Ebonyi State-born man who grew up in Ibadan, “I didn’t know about the killing of the young boy. Owolabi just wanted to implicate me by saying I was with him when he needed artisans.
“Owolabi is a bricklayer. That day, he came and said he needed labourers and I accepted the job.
I told him to look for one more labourer.
“Later, Owolabi said that the person giving out the job told him that it would not be done on the day we expected, so I left Owolabi to play football.
“Later in the night, the boy’s parents came asking for the boy and I told them to ask of him from Owolabi.
“They got Owolabi and he started taking the people around until he took them where the boy’s body was found in the bush.
“When Owolabi wanted to implicate me, my father asked me leave the community to avoid trouble.
“I went to VTech community on Simawa road, where I was arrested by the police.”
