Posted by By Albert Akpor & Chioma Anyagafu on
POLICE in Lagos, yesterday, raided Century Hotel, Okota, owned by the detained founder of the Oodua People's Congress (OPC) where they arrested 26 people, some of them, lodgers in the hotel. Six women said to be OPC members were among the arrested persons.
LAGOS - POLICE in Lagos, yesterday, raided Century Hotel, Okota, owned by the detained founder of the Oodua People's Congress (OPC) where they arrested 26 people, some of them, lodgers in the hotel. Six women said to be OPC members were among the arrested persons.
The police claimed they also seized a coffin, charms and arms during the raid.
Police sources said the raid followed a tip-off that some OPC members wanted in connection with the recent murder of a police corporal on the Iyana-Ipaja mayhem might be hiding there.
However, wife of Dr. Fasehun, Iyabo dismissed the insinuations and absolved her husband of any criminal act.
The dawn raid was conducted by a team of anti-riot policemen, led by the Commander Raider, Chief Superintendent Solomon Tolofari.
The OPC members, according to the police, opened fire on the police team which returned fire, and overpowered them.
The police said three persons among the 26 arrested had confessed participating in the killing of the police corporal who was abducted somewhere at Iyana-Ipaja, taken to the hotel and later killed. His AK 47 rifle was snatched from him before his death. The police said they had recovered the rifle. Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of State CID, Mr. Olayinka Balogun said: 'Just a few days ago, we received information that some members of OPC who participated in the killing of the Police corporal who was abducted from a riotous scene in Ipaja as well as those who actively participated in the recent Iyana-Ipaja crisis were lodging in Dr. Fasehun's hotel at Ago Palace Way and we promptly mobilised as early as 3.00 a.m. this morning (yesterday) and stormed the place and arrested 26 of them, including six females. They even took us to the room where the police officer was murdered and his vital organs severed from his body.
Among those arrested are alleged top members of the OPC who gave their posts in the congress as Commander, Spiritual Consultant and Field Officer as well as four caucus members who led the fight in Iyana-Ipaja. They have all confessed to the crime. Items recovered during the raid, according to the DCP, included two pump action guns, one locally made short gun, one American pistol with No. 85128 with one round of live ammunition, 37 cartridges, a police identity card, three tape recorders and hundreds of OPC identity cards.
Others are army life jacket, assorted knives and cutlasses, various charms, one Mazda bus with number plate DY 11 LND with one locally made pistol found in the pigeon hole of the vehicle, five Nigerian international passports with nos. A2177076, C611597, A2174392, A2257702 and A216250 suspected to be fake. It was told that those arrested will be arraigned Friday for murder