A 75-year-old night guard, Jimoh Teloye, was reportedly killed in the early hours of Monday by suspected armed robbers in Ikare-Akoko in Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Teloye was said to be on duty when the robbers invaded the shops located behind Ikare Central Mosque known as Lagos line.
It was gathered that the deceased, also known as ‘Yerepe,’ was said to have resisted and attempted to stop the robbers from gaining entry into the shopping complex arena, but was overpowered by the hoodlums.
The robbers tied his hands and legs with a piece of cloth and forced a cloth into his mouth while they tied another cloth around his nose, leaving him to suffocate to death.
The robbers, however, operated without any hindrance, carting away goods worth millions of naira from the shops.
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One of the shop owners explained that the guard had been working at the complex for many years, saying they had never experienced such an incident.
He stated that Teloye’s body was discovered by shop owners who resumed for business activities on Monday, while the incident was reported at the police station
The body of the deceased was deposited at the state Specialist Hospital in Ikare-Akoko.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Femi Joseph, said a case of burglar and murder was reported at the station.
Joseph confirmed that the 75-year-old night guard was strangulated to death by the armed men and said the investigation had begun, with a promise to apprehend the criminals.
He said the incident was reported by the chairman of the market, Ajibola Samuel on Monday morning, while police detectives swung into action immediately.
He said a chisel and a sledgehammer were recovered from the scene of the incident while the body of the guard had been deposited at the morgue.