Community arrests gangster two years after killing undergraduate

A 34-year-old man, Sikiru Yusuf, has been arrested for allegedly killing an undergraduate of Kwara State Polytechnic in the Orile area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Yusuf allegedly killed Kazeem Bamgboye, on July 13, 2012 around Doyin Bus Stop.
Yusuf allegedly fled the area after the murder and was subsequently declared wanted by the Lagos State Police Command.

It was learnt that after two years of being on the run, the suspect was spotted by some vigilant residents on Tuesday last week and was immediately arrested and handed over to the Orile Police Division.

A source told our correspondent that after killing the undergraduate, Yusuf relocated to the Iyana Iba area of the state and settled down with his family.

He said, “After killing Kazeem, the suspect relocated to Iyana Iba, got married and even settled down with his family and started a new life. However, once in a while, he would sneak into Orile in the evening to go and visit his mother.

“He kept on doing this for a long time and probably thought that people had forgotten about his crime; so last week, during the day time, he was on his way to Alhaji Jimoh Street to visit his mum but on getting to Doyin Bus Stop, he was identified and arrested by members of the community.”

The suspect, who confessed to killing Kazeem, said the murder was not deliberate but was a case of two people fighting.

The Kwara State indigene, who confessed to being a gangster, said he had two children and a wife.

He said, “In the evening of July 13, 2012, I was on my way to Alhaji Jimoh Street when I noticed that there was a fight around Doyin Bus Stop between youths of Adeleye Street and Alhaji Jimoh Street. I immediately joined in the fight, picked up an iron and hit him (Kazeem) in the head repeatedly until he died.
“I did not mean to kill him but it was a fair fight. I left that area and fixed up my life. I am no longer a gangster but now an area boy. I collect money from bus drivers at designated motor parks.”

However, residents of Orile claimed the suspect was telling lies. They said on the day of the incident, the suspect stabbed several others and even raped a woman.

The elder brother to the deceased, Taiye Bamgboye, told PUNCH Metro that his brother was 27-years-old as of the time of the incident.

He said, “On the day my brother was killed, he did not fight with anyone, in fact, if you look at the picture taken shortly after his murder, you would notice that he was neatly dressed in white. This was because he was on his way to a birthday party and I told him to make a quick stop at my house to collect some money when Yusuf attacked him.

“My brother did not even live on that street. Why would he be fighting with them? Yusuf killed my brother by using a rake to strike him in the head repeatedly and robbed people. He also stabbed many others that day and even raped a woman. It was not a case of two people fighting.

“The case is very pathetic because my brother was in his final year and would have been the first graduate of our family. Although he was killed two years ago, our mother has yet to get over his murder. Yusuf must be charged with murder.”

When contacted on the telephone, Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the matter was under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.