Family of Ondo robbery victim faults police over delay in arraignment of suspect

The family of one of the victims who was shot in a robbery incident in Idanre town in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State, Tolulope Alalabiaye, has called on the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Oyeyemi Oyediran, to ensure the prosecution of the suspect who was arrested in connection with the incident.

The mother of the victim, Mrs. Tola Aladenola, raised the alarm that there was pressure on the state police command to drop the case and release the suspect without charging him to court.

She said: “We want to appeal to the Commissioner of Police to go ahead and prosecute this man (suspect) because we learned that the command is under intense pressure from ‘the power that be’ to release the suspect secretly.

“This may be responsible for why the suspect has not been arraigned in court in spite of the overwhelming evidence and the confession to the crime by the suspect himself that he actually committed the crime.

“We want justice to be done we have spent a lot in treating my son and nobody comes to assist us. We are therefore demanding for justice.”

However, in a reaction, the state Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, denied the allegation, saying the suspect would soon be charged and arraigned in court.

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“The allegation is not true, the police is not under any pressure to release anybody, when it is time, all the suspects in custody would be charged to court after thorough investigation,” she said.

It will be recalled that the suspect, Babatunde Adeoye (a.k.a Para), who allegedly shot the victim and three other people at a shop during the alleged robbery operation in Idanre was arrested and paraded by the state police command last week.

The police commissioner, while parading the suspect in Akure, the state capital, said: “On August 16, 2022, a complainant reported that a group of boys numbering about five led by one Babatunde Adeoye (Para) shot and robbed him of his bag containing a large sum of money.”

The police boss said efforts were on to apprehend other members of the gang, and said the suspect would soon be arraigned in court.