By Aremu Sosanya
A former student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Muyiwa Ogunbanwo has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba to prosecute a former Ogun State House of Assembly member Hon. Joseph Adegbesan and those behind cultism and crimes in Ifelodun Constituency, Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
It could be recalled that SalientTimes had reported how Hon. Joseph Adegbesan, who is a close ally to the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi and two other persons named Muibi Olufodun and Samson were arrested by the operatives of the Intelligence Response Team, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The three were arrested over allegations of cultism, breach of public peace, threat to life and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.
In the petition sent to Inspector General of Police, Ogunbanwo who claimed to be a former student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, and "who luckily escaped from the atrocious activities of some of the named suspects and their accomplices, wrote to demand a dispassionate investigation and thorough prosecution of the case by the police".
"I also write as Chairman of the Committee of Friends of two OOU students (Oriade Adebisi and Juliana Eke Imaga) that were gruesomely murdered in 2018 by some of these suspects and their accomplices who belonged to a dreaded cult group.
"As friends of the slain students, we feel pained that till date, justice has not been served and their murderers and sponsors appear to be walking free without appropriate legal consequences.
"More disturbing is the fact that Hon. Adegbesan and those arrested with him were curiously released from custody and they continued to boast that nothing would happen to them. This is not strange because they have powerful and influential backers.
"But in a society where there are extant laws against crime and criminality, the despicable activities of these suspects should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet. And this is why I want to plead with the Inspector-General of Police and relevant officials and agencies to take the bull by the horns.
"For your information, I fled the University and relocated abroad after some associates of these suspects started mounting pressure on me to join their occultic Aye Confraternity. I could not bear the overbearing pressure and their consistent threats to deal decisively with me if I refused to become a cultist.
"It all happened when one Muritala Babatunde, a native of our Ijebu, Alaskan Oloposi and others who are members of Aye Confraternity killed two students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (Oriade Adebisi and his girlfriend, Juliana). The police subsequently arrested them.
"In the coffessional statement of Muritala Babatunde to the IRT team in Lagos, he confirmed that Hon Adegbesan bought a gun for him and the same gun he used to kill the students.
"He was arrested on 9th August, 2018 and detained in custody before being released on bail for unknown reasons which the police should explain. He was set free on 14th August, 2018.
"Muritala Babatunde even led the police to Hon. Adegbesan's house and showed them on the gate where he tested the gun for Adegbesan.
"In Adegbesan's statement to the police he confirmed that he bought the gun for Muri for political reason
"Now the question is: why did police arrest Hon. Adegbesan, detained him and refused to prosecute him? Where is Muri now who forced me out of the University after refusing to join his Aye gang? Where is Muri's confessional statement and video recording which are with the police? Where is the statement of Hon. Adegbesan when he was arrested?
"I am aware that Hon. Adegbesan and the other suspects (some have not been arrested) are close to the Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Prince Tokunbo Talabi, and certain people in power who have been making desperate efforts to manipulate and sweep this matter under the carpet.
"Information at my disposal revealed that the SSG is putting a lot of pressure on the officers handling this criminal case to save the suspects from formal indictment and imminent prosecution for cultism, threat to life and other crimes.
"I and my colleagues who were friends of the late Oriade and Juliana are not interested in all the game being played over this case; this shows how routine our system is. We are only interested in how justice will prevail as soon as possible.
"We are calling on the Inspector-General of Police and all well-meaning Nigerians not to allow Oriade and his girlfriend, Juliana, to die in vain. Kindly be informed that we have started a GoFundMe account to raise some money and pay for the lawyers who will represent us in court in this matter.
"We are aware that Hon. Adegbesan and others were granted bail after their recent arrest and they are to report back to the police on Wednesday, 29th September, 2021. This incident has generated wide interest in our native Ijebu North LGA and even beyond because of the personalities involved.
"In view of the sensitivity of this matter, we hereby plead that you use your good offices to cause proper and speedy investigation into the allegations against the suspects and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to book".
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