The suspects, Muyideen Bello aka 17 (39), Wasiu Adio aka Trouble (35) and Nurudeen Odofin (39), have however, denied the allegation.
Imohimi explained that the Monsuru was killed on February 21, around 9:30 pm, at Umunede Bar in Mallam Isah Close, Aguda-Surulere. Monsuru was alleged to have been killed by five suspected cultists while he was at a bar, watching a football match between Manchester United and Sevila.
Imohimi, who paraded the suspects at the police headquarters, Ikeja, said that when he visited the Aguda-Surulere office of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Watch to commiserate with them, he had promised that he would do everything possible within the ambit of the law to fish out the killers.
Following the murder of the official, Imohimi directed that a contingent of Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives (SARS) and operatives of Anti-Cultism Squad to be relocated to Census Police Outpost, Aguda-Surulere with immediate effect, in order to fish out the killers.
Imohimi said: "You will recall that I said the command would get to the root of the matter. I’m glad to inform you that three suspected masterminds of the plot had been arrested and are assisting the police in its investigation. Investigation revealed that the deceased, who is an active member of the Neighborhood Safety Corps, had been spying on the activities of the cult group before he was killed.
“Monsuru had gone to watch a football match after work, when he was attacked and killed by the cultists. The suspects have also confessed to several killings at Surulere. One axe, a knife and a blood stained clothe recovered from them had been sent to the lab for forensic analysis."
Adio, one of the suspected killers denied knowing anything about the crime.
He explained: “I was in my apartment when policemen came to arrest me. They arrested me in the presence of my wife and children. The late Bolaji and I were friends. We grew up in the same neighborhood. I have no hands in his death.”
Buttressing Adio’s explanation, Bello said that he was shocked when police came to arrest him for killing Monsuru.
Bello added: “I was returning from somewhere, when I heard a gunshot. I ran for safety. After the dust settled, I came out from where I was hiding. On my way home, I saw the deceased in a pool of blood. I tried to rescue him; with the assistant of some people, we took him to hospital. While at the hospital, I called his brother to inform him about the incident. When he came to the hospital, we went to Aguda Police Station to make official statement.
"When the deceased was alive, we were not close because we always had issue about money. Whenever somebody gave us money in the street before he joined the neighborhood watch, he wouldn’t give us. That was why we all left him. It was after I had left the police station that police came to arrest me."
Odofin said that the deceased was his secretary when he was the chairman of motorcycle riders at Aguda Coker. They were both friends and had no grudges against each other, said Odofin.
Odofin said: “He was working at the motorcycle riders’ park as our secretary before he joined the Neighborhood Watch. After he joined, he was still acting as the Secretary. Unfortunately, Bolaji and I had been on Wanted List of the cultists in the community. They have been trying to kill us. The deceased was the one who always reported cultists’ activities to the police in the community, especially since he joined the Neighborhood Watch. The cultists had been on our trail for long. I don't know why he went to a watch football at the bar. I’m not a cult member. I’m a practicing Muslim."
Odofin further explained that he was sitting outside his house after prayer around 8pm when he heard gunshots. Everyone scampered for safety.
"Twenty minutes later, we went to direction of that the gunshots were coming and discovered that Bolaji had been shot dead. I suspected that it was Gafar and Abayo that killed him because they had been threatening to kill the two of us."
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