The Kwara State Police Command showed seven suspected criminals on Friday. These people are believed to have committed different crimes.
One of these suspects is connected to the murder of Anthony Kayode Balogun. Anthony was a hotel owner who was killed on August 8, 2024, in his hotel in Olulande, Ilorin. The police think cult members killed him.
During a Friday press conference in Ilorin, Commissioner of Police Victor Olaiya explained that a 37-year-old man named Abolarin Samuel Idowu, also known as Sam Caro, was arrested near a Conoil filling station in Ita Alamu, Ilorin. This happened three weeks after the murder.
“When we arrested him, we found a homemade gun and three live bullets,” said Olaiya.
Olaiya added, “The suspect admitted he is a member of a dangerous Eiye secret cult since 2011. He was initiated by someone named Otumba, who is still free.”
Olaiya continued, “Our investigation shows that Abolarin Samuel Idowu, with his friends known as Alowonle (Aloo) and Samuel (Sam Febee-Kay), killed Anthony Kayode Balogun. They wanted revenge for a cult member named Abbey, who was killed in 2022 during a cult event. They believe Anthony ordered this killing.”
He said, “After Sam Caro confessed, police searched more places and found two homemade shotguns, one cut-to-size gun, one battle axe, eight live bullets, a homemade sword, a cutlass, and two bottles with unknown liquids that we think are drugs.”
When the police tried to catch more suspects on August 18 and 19, 2024, they faced strong resistance. One police officer got seriously hurt.
Six other suspects were also arrested for allegedly killing Awesu Mojisola, a 21-year-old student from Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa. These suspects are Adebayo Joshua Happiness, Adebayo Adeniyi, Adeoye Adeola, Bulus Peter, and two women, Adeniyi Bukola, and Lawal Aminat.
The police commissioner said, “Awesu Mojisola was murdered in a hotel in Ilorin on August 9, 2024. She got a call from a fellow student, Kolawole Timileyin.
“Timileyin told her that Adebayo Joshua Happiness, an expelled student from Summit University, Offa, wanted her to come to a party at Whitefield Hotel in Ilorin. He promised her N15,000 for attending. Mojisola went to Ilorin but soon felt uncomfortable. She called her friends and said she was alone in a hotel room with Joshua, who was smoking cannabis.”
Then her phone went off, and no one could find her,” Olaiya said.
“The police acted quickly and arrested Adebayo Joshua Happiness. They found that Joshua had tricked Mojisola to come to Ilorin and had booked a hotel room with no party planned.
“Joshua later booked another hotel room for another girl to cover his actions. Around midnight on August 10, 2024, Joshua killed Mojisola and left her body in the hotel. He stole her iPhone and N15,000 and then hid the phone in his hostel at Offa.”
The Commissioner of Police also mentioned that Joshua’s parents tried to destroy evidence. The hotel staff found Mojisola’s body and threw it in the trash.
He concluded, “The suspects were caught and charged with working together to commit the crime and hiding evidence.”