Lagos Prince Held For Employer’s Murder

Younger brother of the late Oba of Lagos, Adeyinka Oyekan, Prince Wale Oyekan has been arrested by the police in Lagos for killing his employer, one Alhaja Sikirat Ekun. Oyekan was paraded alongside one Lateef Balogun an alleged accomplice in the murder. Alhaja Ekun, 62, was allegedly strangulated on October 17, 2012 by the two men.

Parading the two suspects at the Lagos Police Command headquarters, Commissioner of Police Umar Manko claimed that the deceased’s remains were dumped in a dried well located within her compound , while the assailants carted away her properties worth millions of Naira.

Manko also said that the younger brother of the deceased, one Iyiola Olaniyi, had on 16 October, 2012, reported the disappearance of the woman through a petition to the police at Ogba Police Station, prompting the investigation department to swing into action.

Oyekan, before his arrest by the police, was an employee of the deceased serving as a Manager in her restaurant and bar, Laibon Ventures Limited, located within the late Alhaja’s premises.

According the police boss, to deceive the woman’s friends and relatives into believing that she was still alive, Oyekan used the deceased’s phone number, 08023141545 to send text messages to distract their attention. The police revealed that the suspects carried out the act so that they would sell off her properties and travel abroad. It was further learnt that shortly after the report was made to the police, some of her workers were interrogated but they all denied any knowledge of her disappearance.

While tracing the sudden removal of a vehicle parked outside her premises, it was discovered that a Volkswagen bus with registration number CH 760 FST was removed by the manager and sold to one Michael Dominic and Tunde Davis for N170, 000.

It was also revealed that the discovery of the dry well prompted the team of police investigators to seek the services of well diggers, leading to the discovery of her decomposing body in the about 1,000 feet well. Also recovered with her remains were some of her vital documents, Nigeria International Passport No: A00357120, Driver’s license, pictures, keys to the deceased’s apartment, generating set, and gas cylinder, which were used to ensure that her death was not discovered.

That position was different from what Prince Oyekan had earlier confessed to the police. According to Manko, “The manager, Prince Wale Oyekan, in the course of further investigation, confessed to have seen and known one of the killers of the deceased.

He gave a graphic detail of how she was killed in the early hours of 17 October, 2012 and named one Lateef Balogun of Lagos Island and two others as the killers.” Police hunt for the suspects paid off around 10 am on December 12, 2012 when Lateef Balogun of No 20 Egbe street, Isale Eko, Lagos Island was arrested. Balogun, a 20-year-old barber confessed that they actually killed the woman by sneaking into her bed room at night.

He added that Oyekan paid him N6, 000 for being faithful to a friend. Balogun admitted committing the crime of murder in conjunction with Oyekan. “We strangled the deceased in her bedroom while asleep and thereafter threw her body into the well where the police later found her remains,” he added.

Based on his confession to the police, the subsequent search warrant procured led to the arrest of Oyekan’s wife at No: 1 Olanrewaju Street Salulu Bus stop Agbado Ijaiye where various documents such as land, vehicles and building documents belonging to the late Alhaja Ekun were recovered.