If 45-year-old Wale Adelu had heeded the warnings of the General Overseer of his church, he would not have joined the gang that robbed the Akure branch of Diamond Bank Plc, in November last year. During the robbery, four people were killed.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the founder of the Prayer Centre Church of God, on Idanre Road in Akure, Ondo State, Prophet Samson Oluwamode, where Adelu worships, had on different occasions warned members who were into robbery to quit or face the wrath of God.
It was further gathered that few weeks before the November 22, 2011, bank robbery, the cleric was more specific when he warned that a member of the church would be caught and disgraced after a bloody but successful robbery operation.
On November 22, the bank robbery, which was regarded as the bloodiest in the state in that year and the armed robbers succeeded and went away with millions of naira.
However, barely two months after the incident, detectives from the Ondo State Police Command arrested Adelu and four others who participated in the robbery.
They were paraded by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Sani Magaji, before newsmen on Friday at the command headquarters in Akure before they were moved to the scene of the robbery.
On the bank premises, the police asked the suspects to demonstrate the roles they played on the day of the incident. This, however, led to commotion as customers who did not know the exact mission of the police hurriedly left the premises.
Some members of Adelu’s church, who know him as a worker in the church’s traffic control section, rushed to the scene when words filtered in that a member of the congregation had been arrested for robbery.
Adelu confessed that he was among the gang of armed robbers that invaded the branch of the financial institution located on Ondo Road bye-pass along Oyemekun Road Akure on November 22, 2011, and killed four persons in the process.
The CP said the robbers carted away unspecified amount of money and that they managed to escape on that day despite the fact that the police gave them a hot chase.
Magaji said the Anti-robbery Squad of the state Criminal Investigation Department swung into action and embarked on their trail.
He said, “Their efforts eventually paid off as four of the gang members were arrested in different locations. All of them later confessed to the crime. They are: Wale Adelu popularly known as evangelist; Ikechukwu Maduagwu; Fayemi Albert Olabusuyi; and Mukaila Raji.”
The fifth person who was paraded along with them, Mr. Ropo Adeleye, claimed that his brother, when he identified simply as Bayo was one of the robbers.
Adeleye said, “I am a prince of Ikole-Ekiti. One of my younger brothers was among the gang of robbers. His name is Bayo. I did not know that they were armed robbers.
“I am a driver based in Ado-Ekiti. My brother just called me on the telephone on that day that he was with his friends at Ikogosi –Ekiti and that I should come and lead them because they had missed their way.
“I went to meet them at Ikogosi. I showed them the way and they gave me N100, 000. I did not follow them. I observed that they all wore hard faces and I asked from my brother what they do for a living and he said they were all businessmen.
“Two months after, one of the gang members, named Busuyi led the police to my house and arrested me.”
Adelu, who buried his head in shame said, “I am a worker in the prayer centre church of God, led by Rev. Samson Oluwamodede. Somebody called me and informed me about a deal sometimes in November last year.
“Other people came and we started planning. We carried out the planning in Akure inside a popular eatery (name withheld). I am a farmer in Akure. I live in Oke Aro. I was actively involved in the robbery incident. It was coordinated by a young man.
“I was given N300, 000. We escaped through Ilesa Road en-route Igbara-Oke, Igbara-Odo before we got to Ikogosi. I am an indigene of Ilara-Mokin.”
Meanwhile, the state police command also paraded three suspects who allegedly attacked the Skye Bank branch in Ifon town, Ondo State, and carted away unspecified amount of money.
The CP said the suspect: Chima Osuji, Chimezie Michael and Lucky Sunday, killed a police Inspector in the process and escaped.
He said detectives, following a tip-off, went after their herbalist, Augustine Olumogwe, who did not only confess to the crime but also assisted the police to fish out three of the gang members.
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