Babalola Dolapo, a 39-year-old fruit dealer, has described how he murdered Evangelist Opeyemi Oyelakin, his childhood friend, took his motorcycle and disposed off his body in a pit on Oke-Igbo/Ile-Oluji Local Government Area of Ondo State.
After killing his friend, Dolapo sold the stolen motorcycle for N130,000, he told reporters after being taken into custody by State Police Officers.
He said in confession to having committed the crime alongside Sikiru Mutiu, who is currently on the run.
He stated: “It is the devil’s work, I can’t explain because this person that we are talking about was my close friend. Truly, his bike is not the first bike I would steal but I have never killed before. Even those that are not related to me, I snatch the bike from them and did not harm them but this one is just a coincidence.”
Since there were two of us working in the business, we split the N130,000 we made from the sale of the motorcycle evenly. He resisted us when we tried to take the bike from him, so I struck him with a stone. I know his younger sibling and mother.
I am a trader from Oyo State who lives in Ondo town. I sell oranges but I do not have a shop. I do go to villages to buy oranges.” I am not married and this would be my first trip to this area. I have been in the business since 2021. I can’t explain why I killed him.
Abayomi Oladipo, the State Police Commissioner, expressed regret that the farm owners where the body was disposed of neglected to notify the police, even though there was a strong stench in the area for several days. Oladipo led detectives and medical personnel in removing the decaying body of the deceased from the pit where it was buried in the bush.
Oladipo stated: “The suspect was apprehended through technical intelligence, and during questioning, he admitted how the motorbike rider from Ondo town had been hired to transport him and another person to a farm area in Oke-Igbo.”
“The rider, who also happened to be his friend, brought him to this location, and after they got there, they deceitfully claimed to want to check out their farm.
While the apprehended suspect struck the Okada rider on the head with a stone and pounded his skull with wood, the other suspect, who is now at large, held the rider by the back.
After that, they moved the lifeless body into the bush, covered him with leaves, and left him there. We’re here to remove the body and take care of the proper procedures so that the family can bury him, during questioning, the suspect directed agents to this specific spot where the deceased’s body was kept.
“I would like to take this occasion to warn the public, especially those who use Okada, to be wary of passengers who use their services to travel long distances or on lonely roads.
Additionally, I would want to mention that the people who have lived in this region since March 15, when this incident occurred, and notably the people who have been farming here, have remained silent, which is not meant to happen. That is to say, you have a duty to report anything you witness.
We are currently conducting investigations to find and detain any further fugitives.
Additionally, we have started an awareness campaign to make Okada riders aware of the risks involved in transporting people to remote locations.
