The Ogun State Police Command informed that John was the mastermind of several nefarious crimes that took place at Obalende and other areas of the state. It was learnt that John was arrested along the Sagamu-Ijebu- Ode-Benin Highway during an operation led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Omosanyi Adeniyi, the Area Commander, Ijebu-Ode.
Upon his arrest, John was found in possession of a gun, and in his confessional statement, he allegedly fingered an Inspector of Police, simply identified as Ola, as the supplier of the gun in his possession. It was further learned that it was in a bid to absolve himself of any violations, that an Inspector of Police known simply as Pastor Ola, whom he claimed, had supplied him with the weapon, was indicted.
Pastor Ola, who also happened to be a spy police, was fingered as the policeman who sold the gun to him. Narrating his side of the story, Pastor Ola said that he indeed sold his pump action rifle to the suspected armed robber with necessary caution. But begged for mercy. “If I had known, I would not have done it that way,” he said.
Pastor Ola who stated further that he attended Holy Primary School, Ekiti State, and dropped in Junior Secondary School 3 at A.U.D Secondary School, Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State, said that after school, he came to his mother’s place in Akure and learned to drive for a year.
“It was in my mother’s place that I learned how to drive, at Opese Garage, and worked for two years in that garage. In 2005, I worked with the former Chairman of Akure South Local Government. On November 25, 1997, I started working as a driver at one of the popular churches that has its headquarters in Ogun State. I was attached to Pastor Adeyeye who was a senior pastor at the time, but I married in 2008 and stopped working with him. After I returned in 2008, about 10 senior drivers were sent to the Police Training School, Ikeja, in 2010, to train as spy police for three months, where I became a spy police. It was the mission that sent us for the training.
“I passed out from the training school as a constable, but in 2017, I applied for a refresher course at the Police Training School, Ikeja, where I was given Inspector rank, it was since then I have been called Inspector Ola. I was issued a warrant card and a certificate because I am not a regular Police. When I went for the refresher, the mission gave me N50,000, I added N50,000 and the boss I was driving at that time also gave me N50,000.
“I was invited by the Police on a Wednesday when I was preparing to travel to Ibadan with my boss. I was informed that some people were in my house to take my wife to the police station. Upon getting to our Divisional Police Station, the Divisional Police Officer asked if I was the Inspector who sold gun to an armed robber, I replied that I didn’t sell a gun to an armed robber. I explained that officials of the VGN bought a gun from me, but they were referred to me by one Omooba, a well-known person in my area.” Meanwhile, I bought my first gun, which was a double barrel for hunting monkeys, grass cutters, and ducks. It was one of the pastors who helped me to buy the gun from the police who had worked with them as a chaplain. He helped me to obtain its licence with a number before he handed it over to me. “I later realised that the gun was heavy and decided to change it. I called Omooba, that since VGN officials work with guns, I should sell it to them, I didn’t know that I should not have transferred the gun in that manner, but to return it to the Police station or contact the person who helped me to buy it.
I called Omooba whom I had known for long, who works as a VGN official at Mowe. Omooba then introduced me to Olaifa, his colleague.
It was Olaifa who later introduced me to John. Omooba and Olaifa came to meet me initially at my Ice block factory, in order to inspect the gun and left, but came back later with John and four others, they all came in VGN uniforms.
I told them that they must register the gun because the gun has a number. I sold the gun to them for N210,000. The following week, I was called and told that the gun had been licensed and I didn’t know anything since 2020.