By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Police in Ogun State has arrested four farmers for killing a herdsman, Umaru Aliyu, at Ijagunre village in Imeko-Afon local government area of Ogun State.

And dismembering his body.

The suspects which include, Akinyele Adebayo, Gbalo Idosu, Abiala Segun and Kareem Fagbemi Lana were arrested following a report to the police by one Umaru Jakae.

According to Jakae, he and his brother Umaru Aliyu were grazing their cattle at Ijagunre village when they were accosted by one Ojugbele who warned them not to take their cattle near his farm.

He said: “Upon the warning, we took our cattle to the other side of the bush for grazing, but Ojugbele later called another two men who started chasing us about in the bush.

“I managed to escape, but the whereabouts of my brother Umaru Aliyu is yet to be known since then.”

Upon the report, the case was incidented at Imeko divisional headquarters, but was transferred to State Criminal Investigation Departments, CID, Eleweran for discreet investigation on the order of the Commissioner of Police.

The case was assigned to the SP Kehinde Beyioku-led Homicide section who there and then embarked on technical and intelligence based investigation to unravel the whereabouts of the missing herdsman.

So far, the investigation has led to the arrest of Kareem Fagbemi Lana, who confessed that it was one Ojugbele who called him from his own farm to inform him of the presence of herdsmen in their farm vicinity, and that he should come and join him to chase them away.

He further confessed that he also called another person, Abiala Segun, who came with his dane gun and the three of them started chasing the herdsmen, adding that while chasing them, Kareem Fagbemi Lana collected the dane gun and shot one of the herdsmen, Umaru Aliyu, to death.

He added: “After killing him, they invited Akinyele Adebayo whose farm is nearby and informed him of the incident. It was Akinyele Adebayo who helped us to dismember the body after telling us that he needs the head of the deceased for certain ritual and we all agreed with him to take it.

“We then took the remaining parts of the body to Tamake town and buried it in front of Gbalo Idosu house.”

A statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Abimbola Oyeyemi said the confession of Kareem Fagbemi Lana led to the arrest of three others while Ojugbele is still on the run.

However the deceased’s head and other body parts have been recovered by security officials.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olanrewaju Oladimeji, who commended the Homicide team for the painstaking investigation has ordered a manhunt for the fleeing member of the gang.

The CP also ordered that the arrested suspects be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.