My Arrest Proves No Criminal Can Escape Justice – Osun Wanted Suspect

A self-confessed member of the Aye secret cult group, Olabode Owoeye, also known as ‘Bode Itapa’, has praised the Osun Police Command for apprehending him after being on the wanted list for over two years.

‘Bode Itapa’ was among several suspected criminals paraded at the Osun Police Command headquarters in Osogbo on Friday for various crimes committed across the state.

His group, Aye Supremacy, had been in violent conflict with the Eye cult group in Ilesa and surrounding areas, often leading to the deaths of several individuals, including innocent residents hit by stray bullets.

Responding to journalists’ questions, Bode Itapa admitted to being a member of the Aye group but denied committing murder, although he confessed to being present during the killings of two rival group members.

“I have been with the police for 104 days. I am not a political thug. I am their child; they would have secured my release. I am a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, but I do not work for them to gain positions of authority.

“I want to plead with the government to have mercy on me. I won’t repeat the mistakes I made in the past. I thank the Osun State Police Command, the Anti-Kidnapping Squad. I thank them because they did their job well.

“This will serve as a big lesson for others who are members of cult groups or involved in thuggery. There is no one above the law. I regret being a member of a cult group. Whoever sees me in this state may take caution and change. If they fail to change, they will meet their waterloo one day,” he said.

Osun Police Command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, provided details of Bode Itapa’s arrest, stating, “On 9th February 2024, at about 1820hrs, complainants reported at Iperindo Police station that, on 08/02/2024, their children Kelechi Agha and Tega Robinson left home for their mining sites and did not return. The case was transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad for discreet investigation.

“Credible intelligence revealed that members of the Aye confraternity were sighted freely moving around with dangerous weapons on the day the two went missing. This led detectives to search the hideouts of the cultists, where one locally made Beretta pistol and a black mask were found and registered as exhibits.

“Subsequently, detectives on a rescue mission apprehended Bode Owoeye, a.k.a. ‘Bode Itaapa’, who was identified as a member of the Aye confraternity and on the wanted list of Osun State. During interrogation, he confessed that other members of his Aye confraternity were responsible for the abduction and killing of the victims inside the bush.

“He also confessed that they attacked one Honourable Ayodeji Olaolu, the APC candidate during the election into the House of Representatives in 2023, at the party secretariat and shot him in the head and chest. He further revealed that the confraternity had over 30 pump action rifles, mostly procured before the 2023 election.

“Subsequently, detectives arrested one Samuel David, who was mentioned to be a member of the Aye confraternity involved in the killing of one Ibrahim Taiwo, a.k.a. Omo-Alhaja. During the investigations, the suspect mentioned his five fellow hit-men under Kehinde Itaapa, who stormed the venue of the PDP rally on the 21/02/2023 and killed the deceased.”