The family of the late Ogun State Finance Director, Taiwo Oyekanmi, has expressed disappointment over the delay in the arrest and prosecution of his killers nearly one year after the incident.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro on Thursday, the brother of the deceased, Tayo Oyekanmi, lamented that the incident had left an unforgettable experience for the family, which has struggled since the demise of the late finance director.
PUNCH Metro reports that some armed robbers had, on November 30, 2023, attacked Oyekanmi while returning from the bank in a bullion van with cash for the state.
The bullion van conveying the sum of N112.335m was reportedly accosted on the Kuto flyover by the robbers and broken with a sledgehammer brought out of their Toyota vehicle.
Aside from Oyekanmi, the van had as its occupants the driver, identified as Lekan Akintoye, and one other man named Peter Samson, but only Oyekanmi was identified and shot dead with an AK-47 rifle among the three.
Following his death, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, had said that the robbery and murder were premeditated while wondering how the armed robbers were fully armed with a sledgehammer to break into the bullion van.
According to him, the gunmen must have been well-informed by an insider that the deceased was heading for the bank to make withdrawals.
The police boss confirmed that the bullion van was without any police escort at the time of the incident.
The attached Mobile Police officer, Inspector Rasheed Adegbite, who was supposed to be with the homemade bullion van, was said to have travelled to Igbo-Ora in Oyo State without permission.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Tayo lamented that they had been in the dark about the investigation surrounding the death of his brother.
He said, “I think we are duty-bound to question the police and the system. As a family, it is our firm belief that we need a proper closure for a heinous crime of that magnitude. We believe the police can unearth the remote and immediate riddles of that act of criminality that cut short the life of our brother, thereby throwing us into sorrow and negative historical references.
“Of course, as a family, we are trying to move on. But it’s an unfortunate and unforgettable experience for everyone connected to Taiwo. The scar will never heal in time, especially that of his mother. It will always be there.
“Talk about his immediate family; his wife and the children, the family he left behind, and some of the extended family members who used to rely on him for one thing or the other. It has been a shattered dream, and hope vanished for many.”
According to him, though the state government had fulfilled some of the promises made to the family, it should mount pressure on security operatives to unravel the circumstances behind his brother’s death and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The state government, led by Governor Dapo Abiodun, has fulfilled most of the promises made to the immediate family. We sincerely appreciate the governor for easing our burden.
“We can only remind the governor not to give the police, the DSS, and other security agencies that can help no breathing space on that dastardly act. With the perpetrators still roaming around society, no one is safe, and we don’t know who will be the next victim.
“It is no longer solely about the Oyekanmi family again but about engendering a peaceful society. As a family, we do not want to live perpetually in guesswork, trying to figure out what happened,” he concluded.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, was yet to respond to inquiries on the incident when contacted for a reaction on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Thursday, urged the family to exercise patience as police operatives are on the matter.
He stressed that though the investigation might take longer than expected, there was an assurance that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be brought to justice.
“What I am aware of is that the police are on the matter and when they are carrying out an investigation into an incident such as this, they may not want to disclose the process so as not to jeopardise their efforts.
“The family should know that delay is not a denial, and very soon, the perpetrators of the dastardly act will be brought to justice,” Akinmade said.
