- Safiu Kehinde
Adebayo Pelumi, an official of Lokoja correctional centre and the suspected killer of a Kogi-based photographer, Ayo Aiyepeku has been found dead in a hotel.
This was confirmed in a statement made available to newsmen by the Kogi State Police Command’s spokesperson, Williams Ovye-Aya, on Thursday in Lokoja.
According to Ovye-Aya, Adebayo’s corpse was found in a hotel room in Lokoja, hours after police launched a manhunt for him on Wednesday.
He was alleged to have committed suicide as a bottle of Sniper and suicide note were found in the room.
“The hotel management alerted us early Thursday morning to a corpse lying in one of the rooms.
“Upon responding, we discovered it was the suspect wanted in connection with the alleged killing of the photo-journalist.
“We found a suicide note and a bottle of Sniper insecticide beside his bed in the hotel room,” he said.
Adebayo’s body has been deposited at the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, for autopsy to determine the actual cause of death.
NPO Reported that the prison warder allegedly clubbed the photographer to death with a stick on Tuesday night.
Following the murder which happened in the presence of the victim’s roommate, Adebayo reportedly loaded Ayo’s body in a freezer before transferring into his white Hilux truck for disposal at an undisclosed location.
The photographer’s roommate contacted the neighbourhood vigilantes who, in swift response, trailed the prison warder.
In a hot pursuit of the suspected murderer, the vigilantes shot the tyre of Hilux truck, bringing it to a halt.
While the vehicle and freezer were recovered, the victim’s body was not found in the freezer with killer managing to escape during the pursuit.
However, Ovye-Aya in his statement said Ayo was gruesomely murdered by the Prison official in an office near the Government House/GRA area of Lokoja.
He said that the recovered Hilux vehicle allegedly used by Ayobami is now parked at the ‘A’ Division station.
The deep freezer found in the vehicle has also been taken into custody by the police.
Regarding the whereabouts of Ayo’s body, the police spokesperson said efforts to locate it are ongoing.
He stated that the Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, has ordered the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
“The discreet investigation will help us uncover what truly happened,” Ovye-Aya said.
He appealed to the victim’s family, colleagues, and the public to provide credible information to aid the investigation.
Earlier, the deceased’s family made a passionate appeal to police authorities and the Kogi government for justice.
Chief James Aiyepeku, father of the deceased, said his son was assassinated in cold blood and called for justice.
He described Ayobami as gentle and hardworking, with no known quarrels at work over the last four years.
He pleaded with the state governor, Ahmed Ododo, and security agencies to help retrieve his son’s body and punish the perpetrators.
Mr Timothy Aiyepeku, the deceased’s elder brother, and his uncle, Dr Ibikunle Jide, also appealed for justice.
Timothy said: “As I speak, we have yet to recover the body of my younger brother.”
He described Ayobami as kind, humble and hardworking, saying the family deserves justice for his untimely death.
He appealed to the Federal and Kogi governments and police authorities to uncover the mystery behind the killing.
Dr Jide commended the police for their swift response but urged intensified efforts to recover Ayobami’s body.
He stressed that government must be proactive, as every hand must be on deck to find the body promptly.
“We also thank the media for ensuring the incident receives wide coverage and public attention,” he added.