A new twist has emerged concerning the death of Dr Deji Adejobi, a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife who was killed by suspected assassins at his resident on Tuesday July 14, 2015 around 10.20pm.
Both the wife of the deceased, Funke Adejobi and one of the guards on the street of the late lecturer, (name withheld) gave a clue about the identity of the yet to be identified assailants.
Speaking with our correspondent the guard revealed that thus: “While some strange visitors follow the deceased into the compound, he attempted to shut the gate at them but they forced the gate open and hit him on the head. They also shot into the air and ordered that I lie flat on the ground and remain like that. I had to comply with their instruction.
“I was confused when Mr Adejobi was speaking with the assailants. He called one of them by his name as ‘mopol’. He said, ‘mopol it was you’. After the operation, others said, mopol let us go now”.
The wife of the deceased who is also a police officer could not utter a word but was said to have seen the face of one of the assailants describing them as young men under 30 years.
Younger brother of the deceased who is also a police officer serving in Ogun State and the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi also described the death of his brother as very pathetic.
He said that there was no clue yet as to the where about of assailants adding that the killing devastated the family so much. He ruled out the possibility that the killing was in connection with the chieftaincy tussle at Orile-Owu.
He disclosed that the remains of the university don will be buried on Saturday (today) at his home town, Orile-Owu. According to him, all necessary arrangements are being made for the burial ceremony.
The Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr. Abiodun Olanrewaju, speaking on behalf of the management termed Adejobi’s death as “very unfortunate”, adding that the management, staff and students of the university were very sad about the development.
Meanwhile, Osun State Police Command through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs. Folasade Odoro said that the police have commenced investigation into the matter.
She said the state’s Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Marafa has constituted a high-powered investigative panel to unravel the circumstances behind the incident.
While describing the incident as robbery, she said that the panel was saddled with the responsibility of bringing to book the perpetrators.
Marafa who promised that the police will work assiduously to bring an end to the heinous act of the dare-devil robbery syndicate, maintained that strategies have been evolved to ensure that the long arm of the law caught up with the robbers.
The Commissioner of Police who expressed shock over the ugly incident with the deceased families, promised that the police would work tirelessly to ensure that those behind the dastardly act were apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law.
The late lecturer was said to be loved by his people, especially students that passed through his tutelage.
The assailants also killed the security guard that manned Adejobi’s street and stole his ash colour Toyota Venza Jeep. The private guard who narrowly escaped death was said to have been ordered to lie on the ground throughout the operation that lasted about 15 minutes.
The late lecturer’s mother-in-law recalled that ; “I saw the lifeless body of Deji under the flowers in the pool of his blood. He could not raise his hands; he could not raise his legs.”
As a matter of fact, many have begun to query what could have led to the assassination of Deji Adejobi, a prince of Orile-Owu in Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State, who many described as gentle, easy going and a socialist.
The mother-in-law popularly called Granma recounted that when the assailants arrived his house around 10:10pm and fired gunshots into the air, she quickly took all the children including the two year old baby into the toilet for safety.
According to her, the assailants divided themselves into two groups – one remained outside while the other came inside the house. She added that the assailants searched the entire house until they met them inside the toilet.
“I knelt down begging them to consider the children and spare the life of their breadwinner. The assailants assured us that there would be no problem and shortly we heard gunshot for the second time and everybody was terrified.
“After they had left and when the police team came, we thought they had taken him away and we were praying that God should spare his life.
“We later discovered the lifeless body of Deji under the flowers in the pool of his blood. He could not raise his hands and he could not raise his legs again,” she said.
One of the children of the deceased, Oyin Adejobi, in an agonized voice narrated how her father was murdered in cold blood.
“As we finished our evening prayer at 10:05 pm, daddy drove into the compound. Then I overheard an argument between the gateman and some strange people. I quickly looked from the window and I saw another black car that entered our compound together with daddy’s car. Our gateman was querying the occupants of the other car but they hit him and ordered him to lie down.
“The men in the black car came out before daddy could alight from his car and one of them shot into the air. Two of them advanced to daddy’s car while others came inside. Grandma started begging those that came inside to spare our lives. Suddenly, we heard gunshot twice from the outside.
“The assailants left at 10:20 and took daddy’s car away. I overheard daddy begging them that they should not take him away. When they left, we thought they took him away and we started praying for the safety of daddy without knowing that he had been killed. When the police came, they saw his lifeless body in the flower.”
It was gathered that while the assailants were leaving the area, the security guard in the street sensing danger quickly locked the cross bar to prevent the assailants to have easy ease escape. He was said to have engaged the assailants in argument on their mission in the street but they opened fire on him; shot him dead and forced the cross bar open to escape.
