Ismail Gbolahan, a 20-year-old randy boy, has been arrested by men of Oyo State Police Command for allegedly raping and killing a 35-year-old nursing mother, Toyin Olubowale, at No.15, Road 3, Ogidi Estate, Akobo, Ibadan.
Shina Olukolu, the commissioner of Police in Oyo State, who paraded the suspect on Friday, September 13, 2019, before journalists at the command’s headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, said the incident occurred on August 29, 2019, at about 2p.m.
Gbolahan was said to have boarded a commercial motorcycle to the woman’s house on the fateful day. The commercial motorcyclist that took him to the place introduced himself as Joel Musa.
On getting there, Gbolahan entered the house and the motorcyclist waited in front of the house for Gbolahan to come out so that he could take him back to Akobo Oju-Irin.
According to the Police boss, who also paraded another three suspects for fraud, Gbolahan “alighted and entered the house of one Toyin Olubowale, whom he sexually assaulted and subsequently smashed her head with a wooden stool which led to her death before he made away with her A32F itel Android cell phone.”
“When the commercial motorcyclist returned him to Oju-Irin, Akobo Area of Ibadan, he noticed a wound and blood stains on one of Gbolahan’s fingers and became suspicious due to the unusual sound he heard from the house while he was outside. Hence, he went back to the house and met people crying over the death of the deceased.
“He thereafter informed the people that he knew the suspect who killed the deceased and that he brought him to the house earlier in the day. Hence, Joel Musa was promptly arrested and handed over to the police.
Olukolu noted that the arrest of the motorcycle rider led to the apprehension of the principal suspect, who carried out the dastardly act, adding that on interrogation, Gbolahan confessed to the crime, adding that two other suspects, Oyedeji Blessing, 22, who received the stolen phone and Oyekola Mumini, a mobile phone repairer, who assisted to flash and destroy evidence on the phone, were arrested.
“On 9th September, 2019, at about 16:30hours, a case of murder of one Toyin Olubowale, aged 35years was reported at Akobo Divisional Police Headquarters, Akobo, Ibadan, which was later transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku Ibadan for discreet investigation.”
The principal suspect, Gbolahan, also told journalists during an interview, that the Devil pushed him to rape and kill the woman. He added that he had known her for a long time and he had wooed her earlier, to which the woman did not give him a definite answer and that he attended the naming ceremony of the woman’s child recently.
He said he did not have the intention to kill her, but only hit her with the wooden stool on her head so that he could escape. The woman, he said, bit his finger severely.
“On that day, I went to her house, I had sex with her forcefully, and thereafter, I used a wooden stool to hit her on the head and she died. It was the work of the Devil. I had initially gone for her naming ceremony, and I had once wooed her, but she told me she would think of it. I don’t know what prompted me to kill her.”
One of the two remaining suspects, Oyekola Mumini, the phone repairer, said: “When the phone of the deceased woman was brought to me, I was told that the document of the phone had been lost.
“So, I told him (Ismail) to fill a form before I could wipe the phone, unknown to me that the phone was a stolen one. I was later arrested as an accomplice in the crime. I didn’t know anything about the rape and the murder.”
The police commissioner, also warned: “I want to use this medium to assure the members of the public of our preparedness to protect life and property before, during and after this Yuletide period.
“I equally want to sternly warn criminals who feel Oyo State can be a safe haven to have a rethink and relocate out of the state as the long arms of the law will surely catch up with them.
“Since there is also collaboration amongst the sisters security agencies in the state therefore no individuals or groups should attempt to test our collective will as all criminally-8minded persons apprehended will be decisively dealt with.”
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