By Mahmood Olayinka Alaya
The Kwara State Police Command has arrested seven suspects in connection with the alleged murder of Mojisola Awesu, a 21-year-old graduate of the Kwara State College of Health Technology.
Mojisola was reportedly lured to Ilorin, the state capital, by Adebayo Happiness, a dismissed student of Summit University, Offa, under the pretense of attending a party as his girlfriend for a fee of N15,000.
Tragically, she was found murdered in a hotel room where she was lodged on Friday, August 9, 2024.
The State Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, revealed this during a press briefing at the police headquarters in Ilorin, where he paraded the seven suspects linked to the crime.
Those arrested include the prime suspect, Adebayo Happiness, along with his parents, Pastor Adebayo Adeniyi and Mrs. Bukola Adeniyi, who were allegedly involved in attempting to cover up the crime.
Other suspects paraded include, Miss Kolawole Timileyin, who connected the deceased with the prime suspect, and three hotel workers—Adeoye Adeola, Lawal Amina, and Bulus Peter.
According to CP Olaiya, the suspect, after committing the murder, returned to Offa and hide the stolen phone in his hostel wardrobe. The police, through careful and discreet investigation, were able to trace and apprehend the suspect’s parents, who were complicit in attempting to conceal evidence.
“Investigations by officers of the command led to the arrest of Adebayo Joshua Happiness. Preliminary findings revealed that Adebayo deliberately lured Mojisola Awesu to Ilorin under false pretenses, booking a hotel room at around 1800 hours with no intention of hosting a party,” Olaiya stated.
The Police boss said further investigations uncovered that at approximately 2345 hours on the same day, Adebayo booked an additional room at the same hotel for another female, possibly as a cover-up for his premeditated actions.
“In the early hours of August 10, 2024, Adebayo brutally murdered Mojisola. He abandoned her lifeless body in the hotel room, secured the room, and fled with her iPhone and a sum of Fifteen Thousand Six Hundred Naira (N15,600), which he stole from her. He then returned to Offa, where he concealed the stolen phone in his hostel wardrobe,” Olaiya detailed.
“ Following the murder, Adebayo’s parents allegedly attempted to tamper with evidence. After their son’s arrest, they retrieved his belongings from his school and tried to hide the evidence. It was discovered that Mrs. Bukola Adeniyi had removed the SIM card from Mojisola’s iPhone and concealed it within a wall some distance from their residence.
“Contrary to Adebayo’s initial claim that he had discarded the phone in the Afelele River, Offa, both the iPhone and SIM card were recovered from his parents’ possession,” Olaiya confirmed.
He added that the investigation further revealed that the hotel staff on duty, upon discovering Mojisola’s body, unlawfully disposed of her remains at a refuse dump in an attempt to cover up the crime, saying that the hotel workers involved have been arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy and the unlawful disposal of a corpse, among other offenses.
CP Olaiya emphasized that investigations are ongoing, and all suspects are currently in police custody.
He assured that upon the completion of the investigation, the suspects would be charged to court to face the full extent of the law.
CP Olaiya also reassured the public that the Kwara State Police Command remains committed to ensuring justice for Mojisola and maintaining peace and security within the community.
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