Posted by By Rotimi Williams on
Homicide detectives on Saturday arrested the coordinator of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), for Lagos State, Mr. Kehinde Oyenuga, as investigators closed in on the suspected killers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Chief Funsho Williams.
Homicide detectives on Saturday arrested the coordinator of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), for Lagos State, Mr. Kehinde Oyenuga, as investigators closed in on the suspected killers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Chief Funsho Williams.
He was murdered at his 184 A, Corporation Drive residence in Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi on Thursday.
Oyenuga's arrest by a crack team of detectives at his private residence around 7.30 am, coincided with the intensive investigation by a combined team of three British police officers and their Nigerian counterparts for further clues to the dastardly act.
Oyenuga, a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, who was once in charge of operations at the Lagos State Police Command, was immediately whisked away to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon.
FERMA was set up during the tenure of Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe as the minister of works and its officials were often involved in violent confrontations with officials of the Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA) over the right to operate on federal roads.
Detectives also arrested the former Chairman of Kosofe local government area of Lagos State, Mr. Tunde Buraimoh, bringing to 11 the number of suspects so far in police custody over the killing.
Others include Ogunlewe; some of his political aides and four policemen who were his security staff.
It was learnt that Braimoh, who was earlier arrested and released on bail, was re-arrested based on what a police source described as 'damning evidence."
Unconfirmed reports said the police might have made some progress in their investigation, based on useful information reportedly supplied by one of the policemen who were supposed to guide him, but failed to report for duty.
Another governorship aspirant, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, was also called on the telephone at 5pm to report at office of the AIG in charge of Zone 2, where he was ordered to go to Alagbon and make a statement.
He was later released on bail on self recognition.
Both Kehinde Oyenuga and Williams' senior driver, Omotosho aka Omo, were also moved to the place, which was now the Coordination Centre for investigations.
A competent source said another aide of the deceased was arrested on Saturday but his identity could not be ascertained by press time (9.30 pm).
Oyenuga was reportedly apprehended because detectives believe that he could provide useful clues on the identity of those who carried out the assassination.
Sources stated that the police were working on a tip that one of the governorship aspirants was training a group of men to form the nucleus of a hit squad before the assassination.
Last Wednesday, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone II, Mr. Adedayo Adeoye, had held a closed door meeting with all the PDP governorship aspirants in his office.
Police sources said the AIG summoned the meeting following the spate of violence that characterised campaign rallies by supporters of some of the governorship aspirants.
Adeoye, who, according to sources, read the Riot Act to the men during the meeting, warned that they would be personally held liable for any violence caused by their various supporters.
Consequently, he reportedly made them to sign an undertaking to be of good behaviour as well to take responsibility for the conduct of their supporters.
Among those who attended and signed the undertaking, which was done in the gubernatorial aspirants' handwriting, included Williams, Ogunlewe, Mrs. Bosede Osinowo, Mr. Tunde Braimoh and Mike Olawale Cole.
One of the participants at the meeting told our correspondent that, while Williams, in his statement to the police boss, 'undertook to be responsible for the good behaviour of my men and followers," Ogunlewe, in his own case was said to have stated that 'I will be of good behaviour and be able to control my supporters."
Police preliminary report on the investigation so far indicated that the murder might have been carried out with the alleged connivance of insiders at Williams' residence.
The interim report gave details of how the assailants gained entrance into the building to take a vantage position.
Contrary to earlier reports, the duplex used by the assailants to gain access into Williams' residence, currently under renovation, actually belonged to the deceased.
The assailants reportedly came in through the roof after scaling the wall of the building under renovation.
'The assailants came down from the roof with the help of a rope," a source claimed.
They reportedly created an opening into the room used by Williams at the upper part of the building by removing an air conditioner.
They allegedly took cover in one of the three rooms upstairs pending the time Williams would round off. He was then coming from a meeting he was holding with three board members of the Nigerian Maritime Authority (NMA). He was reportedly grabbed by his attackers as soon as he entered his apartment.
Sunday Punch learnt that preliminary findings showed that Williams was initially strangled to death before he was stabbed on the neck and other parts of his body.
The assailants also reportedly took time to ransack the room ostensibly for some documents.
The police later recovered the knife they used for the operation, which was soaked with blood.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Haz Iwendi, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), in a telephone interview with Sunday Punch, confirmed that more arrests were made on Saturday.
He, however, refused to disclose the identities of the new suspects.
According to him, 'We have picked up more suspects. We shall ensure that no stone remained unturned until we get to the root of the matter."
However, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Panti, Mr. Yinka Lawal, confirmed that Oyenuga and Braimoh were being held, 'to answer one or two questions."