Principal suspect in the gruesome murder of businessman, Chief Ignatius Odunukwe linked to killing of Bayelsa Commissioner; narrates how Odunukwe was killed

The Lagos State Police Command have linked the principal suspect in the murder of Chief Ignatius Odunukwe, popular Anambra business man, to other crimes including the murder of a commissioner from Bayelsa State.

The principal suspect, Bob Daniel Ibeaji, pictured above, was paraded on Tuesday, by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Ahmed Iliyasu, along with his alleged accomplice: Arinze Igwe, 26; Solomon Cletus, 30 and Israel Obigaremu, 35.

Addressing journalists on the arrest, AIG Iliyasu said through investigation, Ibeaji, who claimed to be a medical doctor, had been linked to two other incidents. One, he said, was that of a commissioner in Bayelsa State, Honourable Depologa, who was murdered and his remains found along the Abuja Expressway.

“This happened a week after his encounter with the victim at Ibeto Hotel, Abuja. During their discussion, he offered to give the victim N220 million for a block of flat situated at Durumi, Abuja. Depologa was murdered and his remains were found along the Abuja Expressway.’AIG Iliyasu said.’

He said a second victim, Jude Efule, a property developer in Abuja, survived being killed after Ibeaji had held him captive in an apartment and forced him to sign a prepared document transferring ownership of the victim’s property to him.

“He almost killed Efulue but the intervention of Efulue’s neighbour led to Ibeaji’s apprehension by the police which landed him in Kuje Prison,” the AIG said.

While he was remanded Kuje prison, Abuja, Ibeaji said that he met his accomplice, Cletus, and discussed the dealings with him which he promised to help out with.

Cletus said that he was lured into the act with the promise of N2 million loan to be given to him if he would participate in the evil plan.

While speaking with journalists, Ibeaji gave details of how he conspired with the three others to snuff life out of the deceased Chief Odunukwe at Artican Beach Resort, Ajah, Lagos state on December 1, 2019. He said they killed the deceased because they wanted to take over his N900 million property in Abuja.

”I lured Odunukwe into my hotel room through N900million business deal I was pretending to go along with.

“That Sunday afternoon, when I was sure he was on his way to Artican Resort Hotel, I instructed one of my boys to bring a bag for me. After he signed the documents of the building in question in the garden, I told him to come inside the hotel room so as to give him the money. But when he came I started shouting on him to hand the documents over to me but he insisted I must first pay.

“At that point, one of my colleagues brought the bag and as Chief bent down to check the money inside, with the help of Igwe and Cletus, I was able to distract him and hit him on the head using the butt of an axe.

“After then, we dragged him to the toilet and I injected him twice with shots from a lethal injection. His body was later cut into pieces and dumped somewhere at Ogunbo Forest, in Ajah,” he said.

”I wanted to use the document to claim the property as mine and later sell it,” he said.

Ibeaji said that Igwe, who was a staff member of the resort was the one responsible for navigating the culprits’ successful exit from the hotel because of his knowledge of its layout.

However, Israel Obigaremu, the Uber driver, said that he knew nothing about the evil plan and was unfortunately involved because he allowed Arinze to park the deceased car in his compound.

He said that Arinze usually called him for jobs of transporting his clients that lodged in the hotel and that was how he met with Ibeaji whom he drove around town.

“Arinze brought the victim’s car to my compound and told me that the car belonged to his boss who had travelled and he promised to come pick it up the next day.

“I do not know anything about the killing. I was home sleeping when Arinze brought the vehicle to be parked in my compound,” Obigaremu said.

The deceased body, which was cut into pieces, was recovered by operatives of the Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS) of the Zone 2 Command, last week, in a canal in Ogombo forest along Ajah road, while his 4-Runner SUV was tracked to Artican Beach Resort.

The AIG said that the four suspects would be charged to court and would face the full extent of the law.

The police evacuated the remains of the deceased into Braingrace Ambulance so as to give the deceased a befitting burial.