by Isi Esene

The suspected killers of Olaitan Oyerinde, aide to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, have revealed that they were at his house not to assassinate him but for a robbery.

The robbery, according to them, was precipitated by Oyerinde’s gateman who incessantly boasted to Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi, his friend, about his boss’ wealth and influence.

The three suspects who allegedly carried out the armed robbery attack in which Oyerinde was killed were, yesterday, paraded at the State Security Service (SSS) Headquarters in Abuja. They are reported to have made self-incriminating confessions.

Abdullahi, 46, confessed to have gone to Oyerinde’s home at 65, Second Ugbor Road, GRA, Benin City on May 4 in the presence of two others, Raymond Onajite Origbo and Chikezie Edeh, saying “We never had the intention of killing him. We went there just to rob him and get away. When we got there, he was relaxing in one of the seats in his sitting room with his wife and a baby in another seat.”

“We commanded him to lie face down; he obeyed. We then noticed another man in the house who we also ordered to lie face down. Suddenly, the man (Oyerinde) jumped up and he was running towards his room.

“Being a ‘big man’, we thought he was going to get his gun. So, I shot him. In truth, I shot him only once. Raymond also shot him.”

Origbo, 26, however, tried to exonerate himself from the actual act of shooting the victim saying “When the man started running towards his room, I shot in the air. I did not shoot at him. It was Abdullahi that shot him. After shooting in the air, I walked back to the sitting room. It was my first operation.”

Chikezie, 30, also gave a similar account, adding that Abdullahi ordered them to blindfold the gateman so as not to be recognised by him. He said he did not fire a single shot in the armed robbery operation.

According to the Nation Newspapers, the SSS spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, named the items stolen by the suspected robbers as four Blackberry phones, one iPad, two Galaxy Tablets, a laptop, and an unspecified sum of money belonging to Oyerinde’s brother-in-law, Adeyinka Oletubo.

The stolen items were allegedly bought by another gang of robbery suspects who were also apprehended and paraded by the SSS.

With these confessions by the alleged killers of Olaitan Oyerinde, it is not clear how the arrest of Rev. David Ugolor by the police for the same murder can be explained.

When asked about Ugolor’s possible role in the murder, Abdullahi’s quick answer was: “I don’t know him.”

It’s now over to the police.