“I needed money for my wife’s burial” – One of killers of Okada rider beheaded in Kwara tells Police

One of the three suspected murderers of a 34-year-old commercial motorcyclist, Rafiu Akanl, who was beheaded in Asunlere village, Oke-Oyi, Ilorin East Local Government Area of the state, Peter Samuel, has confessed to decapitating the motorcyclist with a cutlass, adding that they conspired to murder to fund his wife’s burial, whose body was currently in a hospital mortuary.

Samuel, while confessing to the crime committed by him and his accomplices, said Sunday Agbenke provided the number of the Okada rider, who he claimed recently bought a new motorcycle.

Samuel explained, “I’m from Benue State. Sunday, Agbenke gave us the phone number of the Okada rider, who he said had recently bought a new motorcycle. We hired the Okada rider to take us to Oloru, in the Moro Local Government Area. We killed him to take possession of his motorcycle because we needed money to transport my wife’s body home for burial.”

The Kwara State Police Command, while giving an update on the killing of a commercial motorcyclist in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, said its detectives had recovered the severed head of the commercial motorcyclist

Rafiu, who recently purchased a new motorcycle for commercial purposes, was allegedly killed by three men, Peter Samuel, Jeremiah Tiozinda, and Sunday Agbenke, who the police have apprehended.

The noise of the attack on the deceased alerted a Vigilante patrol team, who pursued the suspects. The culprits abandoned the motorcycle and fled into the bush. However, Peter Samuel’s mobile phone was left at the crime scene, leading to their arrest by police detectives.

Meanwhile, the police had initially discovered the headless body of the late Okada rider on Monday at the crime scene. The three suspects, who confessed to the crime, stated that they had thrown the severed head into a river.

The statement reads, “The Kwara State Police Command wishes to inform the public of an important breakthrough, wherein police investigators at the SCID Ilorin have recovered the dismembered remains of the late Rafiu Akano (M), 34 years old, who was brutally murdered by Peter Samuel (M), Jeremiah Tiozinda (M), and Sunday Agbenke (M) on 4th November 2024.”

“All three suspects have confessed to the crime, with the motive to dispossess the late Rafiu of his commercial motorcycle.”

The statement continued, “Sunday Agbenke provided the phone contact of the motorcycle rider to Peter Samuel to lure him to an undisclosed location. On their way, the rider was stopped when Peter Samuel pretended to need to relieve himself, allowing Jeremiah Tiozinda to strike the rider on the head with a stick.”

“The rider fell off his motorcycle, struggling to escape, but was eventually overpowered by Peter Samuel and Jeremiah Tiozinda. Peter Samuel then used a cutlass to sever the head, while Jeremiah Tiozinda disposed of the dismembered part and cutlass into the stream, fleeing with the motorcycle.”

However, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr Victor Olaiya, said the suspects would be arraigned in court once investigations into the case are completed; also reaffirmed his commitment to protecting the lives and property of the people of Kwara, and he emphasised the enforcement of the restriction on motorcycle and tricycle movement from 9 pm to 6 am daily.

He warned that anyone found violating the law would face prosecution accordingly.