The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a man allegedly travelling from Anambra State to avenge his brother’s death, recovering a pistol and a cartridge from him during a stop-and-search operation.
The suspect was intercepted by operatives of the Safer Highway Patrol along Ife Road while travelling in a commercial bus, according to the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olushola Olayinka.
Olayinka said the suspect’s responses during questioning raised suspicions that he was heading to Oyo State to kill a person he believed was responsible for his brother’s death.
The firearm and ammunition were subsequently recovered during a search, leading to his arrest.
In a video of his interrogation, the suspect said he was working in Benue State when he received news that his brother had died at a school in Oka, allegedly after being killed by another person.
“I was working in Benue State. My brother was in school in Oka. I had information that he had just died at school. Somebody killed him in the school,” he said.
He added that he returned following the incident but suffered another family loss weeks later when his mother died.
“A few weeks after my brother died, my mother also died,” he said.
The suspect explained that he subsequently received information that the person he suspected of killing his brother was living in Oyo State, prompting him to travel there in search of the individual.
“Last month, I had information that the boy is living in a state, Yoruba State. I said I will find out that place where he is living,” he said.
He confirmed during questioning that he was on his way to Oyo State when police operatives intercepted him.
When asked about the source of the recovered firearm, the suspect claimed he purchased it from a friend for ₦20,000, adding that he was unsure whether the seller was a hunter.
The suspect also admitted belonging to the Vikings confraternity when questioned about his alleged involvement in a cult group.
However, he said he could not establish whether his late brother was also a cult member, explaining that they attended different schools and that he was not present when his brother died.
“I was not there with him. I was not in the same school with him,” he said.
The police spokesperson said the suspect was being investigated to determine his connections, establish the circumstances surrounding his brother’s death, and unravel the details of the alleged revenge plot.
Olayinka commended the officers involved in the operation for intercepting the suspect and recovering the firearm, adding that investigations were ongoing.
