Gunmen who killed the Gulder Ultimate Search 2006 winner, Hector Jobarteh, on Monday, September 3, 2017 has stated their roles in the robbery that went awry.
The team, led by Ismail Adeyemi, spoke at their parade by the police in Lagos.
He said, “I knew KK through Nonso, whom I worked with in a filling station in Apapa some years back. I met Nonso about five months ago and I gave him the address of where I live in Sango, Ogun State. KK just came back from abroad that time.
Adeyemi said he and his gang members went after Jobarteh because they were desperately in need of money.
According to Adeyemi, he and his gang members – KK and Nonso – only wanted to rob the GUS winner and collect his money.
But KK shot him and his father.
Recollecting how Jonarteh was killed and his father shot, Adeyemi said he and his partners were driving around, scouting for whom to rob, when they sighted the GUS winner in his red car, driving into Olufowora Close that led into the estate at Oko Oba, where he lived.
Acting on a hunch that they would get money from him, KK, the leader of the gang, ordered that they should trail him.
But before they could catch up, Jobarteh had driven into his compound.
The robbers were confused.
They sighted a woman and told her that they were looking for a red car that sped off after bashing their car.
The woman innocently pointed to Jobarteh’s compound.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, explained that Adeyemi was the prime suspect.
The CP alleged that Adeyemi, a former filling station attendant at Apapa Wharf area of Lagos State, pulled the trigger that killed Jobarteh and landed the star’s father in hospital.
But Adeyemi denied this.
He said: “I was not the person that shot Hector.
“It was my friend, KK, that shot him.
“I even quarreled with him for shooting the guy.
“It was KK that led the robbery operation.
“When I asked why he shot Hector, he said that Hector wanted to grab hold of him, possibly to struggle with him.
“I reminded him that our agreement was to only rob people and collect their valuables, not to kill.
“KK got angry and threatened to shoot me.
“In fact, he even pointed the gun at me.
“After the woman showed us the compound that Hector drove into, we followed.
“We met a woman inside the compound and asked her the flat that Hector entered, but she refused to cooperate.
“It was at that point that KK brought out the gun and threatened to shoot her.
“She was scared and took KK upstairs.
“I was downstairs with Nonso when we heard gunshots.
“KK called us to come upstairs.
“We got upstairs and discovered that KK had shot Hector and his father.
“KK first shot the father and later shot Hector when he came to know what was happening.
“We snatched Hector’s bag and phone and left.
“When we opened the bag, we found only a pair of shoe and some flowers.
I gave the phone to my brother, Usman, to help me sell it. He said he sold it for N7,000 at Computer Village. I collected N5,000 and gave him N2,000,” he added.
Policemen hunting for the killers of Hector tracked his stolen phone to the Computer Village.
They arrested the trader that bought it and later used him as bait to arrest Adeyemi.
KK and Nonso are still at large.
However, the state Commissioner of Police, Edgar Imohimi, who paraded Adeyemi, said he shot the GUS winner.
Imohimi said, “I am glad to announce to you that after weeks of extensive manhunt, the principal suspect, Ismail Adeyemi, who pulled the trigger that killed the victim, has been arrested and he confessed to the crime.
“He also admitted to other various criminal activities within the state. The suspect led operatives to Sango Gasline, Ijoko, where his operational revolver pistol with nine rounds of live ammunition was recovered.”
The CP told newsmen that 19 suspected armed robbers, terrorising residents of Ogombo, Sangotedo, Elemoro, Ikota, Ajah communities, among others, had been arrested.
“Within the period under review, 11 vehicles of different brands stolen at gunpoint from Lagos State and sold at Enugu State were tracked and recovered from hoodlums. Ten suspects, who specialise in robbing victims at gunpoint and driving the vehicles to Enugu State with forged number plates, were also arrested. The police recovered six vehicles and returned them to Lagos State.”
Names of the suspects were given as Abomi James, 34; Omokaro Efe, 48; Joseph Uzuazomaro, 31; Chukwudi Onyemara, 27; Malvin Umeh, 33; Nisma Uttah, 33; Samuel Shokumbi, 34; Ahmed Waheed, 33; Agustine Uchenna, 47 and 39-year-old Udoh Benedict.
“Members of the public who are victims are hereby advised to come to the command and check the vehicles for possible identification. The vehicles are Toyota Camry with number plate, FKJ 715 ES; Toyota Camry, FGG 636 MC; Toyota Matrix, EPE 429 DJ; Mercedes Benz Formatic, KRD 68 ES; Acura MDX, EKY 534 BX; Toyota Camry and Toyota Corolla, among others,” the CP added.
