Leader of an armed robbery gang, Blessing Okon, has explained how he and others killed one of their member, Shahabi Jadi, over the sharing formula of proceeds from a robbery operation in Ondo State.
Okon, who also works as a labourer at Ehinowo Camp via Ondo town, was arrested along with other members identified as Osha Phenus, 23, Gabriel Japhet, 26 and Gbenga Timothy, 22.
The suspects were among other 15 suspected criminals paraded by the Ondo State Police Command on Monday, November 7, 2023, for various criminal offences ranging from cultism, unlawful possession of firearms, attempted murder, fraud, rape, unlawful possession of Indian hemp/Illicit drugs, among other heinous offences.
Investigations revealed that the deceased, Jadi, was a Hausa man who came to the Camp to sell provisions, solar lights, knickers among other items, but unknown to the entire residents of the Camp, he belonged to a robbery gang.
Speaking with journalists, Okon said it was Japhet who was infuriated by the greediness of Jabi and macheted him to death for giving them N50,000 and keeping N150,000 to himself.
“We were the ones who killed the man. But my friends accused me of telling the police the truth—that we killed him. It was ‘Black’ Japheth, who cut him with a cutlass.
“All of us, including the deceased, used to rob. After our last operation, we realised N200,000, but he decided to give the three of us N50,000 instead of sharing it equally.
“I wasn’t the one that cut the man. I was only implicated because I followed them to the scene. It was after others were arrested that I was mentioned to be part of those that killed him.”
