Residents of Olasepe Estate, Denro, in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State are now living in fear, following the assassination of a 35-year-old man, Mr. Gbenga Adenekan, by suspected members of a cult group, identified as Aiye.
Adenekan, who was until his death a civil servant, was allegedly killed by members of the cult group while he was asleep in his house in the middle of the night.
He was said to have been shot several times by his assassins, who left his body riddled with bullets.
Autopsy conducted on him showed that the victim died of “perforated organs, occasioned by the bullets.”
This, according to the autopsy, left the victim choked “by his own blood,” which was said to have gushed out through his nostrils, mouth and ears.
Investigations revealed that Adenekan’s death might not be unconnected with the circumstances surrounding his relationship with a certain woman (names withheld), who was alleged to be having a separate affair with another man (names withheld) described as “notorious.”
Sources said the victim, in a chat on social media platforms (Facebook and Whatsapp), had a heated debate with the woman, whose other boyfriend was said to have “criminality tendency.”
The lady in question, it was revealed, had on her Facebook account the picture of her “notorious boyfriend.”
The source further alleged that the lady’s “notorious boyfriend” could be responsible for Adenekan’s gruesome murder.
It was gathered that the night he (Adenekan) died, sporadic gunshots were heard in the area, but because such a sound had become “normal” in the area, many of the residents did not show much concern.
But the following morning, it was discovered that the window shutters and net of the victim’s apartment had been vandalised.
The location of Adenekan’s residence, it was gathered, was vulnerable as it had allegedly always provided an escape route for hoodlums in the area fleeing from the law, after committing crime.
“His house is not safe. Thieves usually use the premises as an escape route and even the uncompleted building beside it makes the house more exposed to danger. On several occasions, the police have arrested those miscreants using that uncompleted building as a hideout,” a resident said.
A community leader, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said Adenekan had, in the past two years since he moved into the area, been friendly with other residents.
Recalling the incident that led to the victim’s death, he said, “Gbenga was killed in the middle of the night. That night, there had been sounds of gunshots heard by many of the residents, although I did not hear it because that night, I took sedatives. But the following morning, his landlord came to knock on my gate around 6:30, calling me to come and look at something. On getting to his house, I went to Gbenga’s apartment and we called him, but he did not respond. We banged on his door, but he did not answer. So, we peeped through the window and saw him lying on the floor on his belly naked.
“Then we knew something was wrong. We contacted the Police (Adigboluja Division); they came and called on him, but he did not respond. So, they contacted the DPO, who came with heavily armed policemen and they forced the door open. He was examined and they confirmed that he was assassinated. We found about 45 bullet wounds on him and there were gun cartridges on the floor. His corpse was taken to the police division and subsequently conveyed in an ambulance to a morgue in Sagamu.”
Another resident, who also would not want his name mentioned, said, “The incident has left all of us in fear. Fear for our safety and tears for the loss of our dear friend and brother, Gbenga. This is a big blow to us. Every morning, we cry, not because he actually died, but because of the cruel manner in which he was killed. God will expose those who did it.”
When contacted, the victim’s elder brother, Mr. Segun Adenekan, described his younger sibling’s death as “unfortunate” and an irreparable loss to his family.
He said that the family had left the matter in the hands of the police to do the necessary investigations.
Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident.
Oyeyemi, an assistant superintendent of police, said the command would do everything possible to unravel the mystery behind the victim’s death.
