Police: Security Guard Masterminded Killing of EKSU Ex-DVC

Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, announced on Thursday that six key suspects have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Prof. Olorunfemi Olaofe, former Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.

Contrary to earlier reports, the police revealed that the security guard of the professor was not kidnapped alongside him but instead facilitated the kidnapping.

Olaofe was abducted from his residence at Federal Housing Estate, Ado Ekiti, along with his security guard, on July 9, 2024. His body was discovered buried in a shallow grave in a bush along Airport Road at Afao Ekiti on July 31.

In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Command, Sunday Abutu, Akinwale confirmed that the professor’s body had been exhumed and taken to a morgue.

The commissioner detailed the incident, stating that a gang of armed men kidnapped Olaofe and his security guard, Abdul Opotu, using the professor’s Toyota Camry car. The police responded swiftly, deploying Rapid Response Squad operatives who later found the car in a forest between Ado Ekiti and Afao Ekiti.

A discrete investigation led to the arrest of Omowaye Ayodele at a guest house in Akure, Ondo State. Ayodele confessed to the crime and implicated accomplices Kenneth, Amodu Gbenga, Nnamani Chukwuka, and Ojо, a.k.a Ojo Ijan. He also revealed that Opotu, the security guard, had orchestrated the kidnapping.

Gbenga was later arrested and admitted to supplying food and water to the gang. The investigation led to a shallow grave where Olaofe’s body was found.

The body was exhumed and identified, and further efforts are being made to apprehend the remaining suspects, including Opotu. Six suspects are currently in custody as the investigation continues.