It was a dramatic confrontation yesterday at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja Lagos between a self-confessed assassin and his sponsor who allegedly hired him to kill. At the Police Command, the hired assassin, Adeola Williams popularly known as Ade lawyer faced the former leader of the National Union of Road Transport Worker NURTW in Lagos, Alhaji Rafiu Olounwa and asked him to deny if he had not killed four persons on his orders for which he was paid N500,000 as part payment. The former union leader however described it as blackmail saying he only paid him out of fear for his life.
While the self-confessed assassin, said that he was hired by the former NURTW leader, , to assassinate the incumbent union’s leader at Idumota, Azeez Adekunle Lawal , popularly known as Kunle Poly, he denied the claim, describing it as mere blackmail.
How it happened
Members of the Idumota branch of the union had converged for a meeting with their leader, Kunle Poly at the last floor of a three-storey building on John street, off Idumota bus-stop, on January 23, 2018. Time was 12 midnight.
After the meeting, Kunle Poly, accompanied by his Personal Assistant, Ganiyu Ayinla, popularly called Piero and two policemen, approached his vehicle. But they were rattled by sporadic gunshots from a restaurant where some hoodlums were drinking. At the end of the shooting spree, Ayinla died on the spot while the two policemen managed to escape with gunshot wounds. But the assailants’ target, Kunle Poly, escaped by the whiskers.
Arrest
Saturday Vanguard gathered that since the incident occurred, an initial arrest of two persons was made. Their confessional statement reportedly led to the arrest of Williams by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT headed by Abba Kyari, an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
It was gathered that 39-year-old Williams, who hails from Ogun state, was arrested in Akure, Ondo state where he fled to immediately after the murder. He was also discovered to have been on Police wanted list for five years, over several assassinations within the South West.
During interrogation, he admitted to the crime but disclosed that he was hired by Chief Rafiu Olohunwa, the former NURTW chairman. He further stated that the deal was sealed with a fee of N1.5 million, while a part payment of N500,000 made by him (Olounwa), with a promise to pay the balance after the assassination of Kunle Poly.
Trouble
Trouble, according to him, broke out following the refusal by Olounwa to pay the balance of N1 million after the operation. He disclosed that Olounwa refused to pay because he claimed that the person who was killed was not the target.
According to Williams (Ade lawyer): “Chief Olorunwa cannot deny hiring me. Ask him what the N500,000 he paid me was meant for. Also ask him why I was demanding for the balance.”
Why he hired me to kill Kunle Poly
Explaining how the operation was carried out, Williams, said: “ I am an assassin. The only work I know is to kill. I have been working for Chief Olounwa since he was chairman of the union between 2008 and 2011. I am one of his errand boys and he can’t deny that.
He called me on a Monday, January 21, 2018 and informed me that he wanted me to assassinate Kunle Poly. He said he brought Kunle Poly to the union and that he was instrumental in his being the chairman. He said Kunle Poly ought to be paying him an amount on monthly basis but that he had not been living up to expectation. He lamented that it was affecting him financially.
“We were supposed to carry out the operation the next day being Tuesday but it was postponed because we had not been paid. The following day on Wednesday, January 23, 2018, I went to meet Olouwa in his car that night, where he gave me the part payment of N500,000. He warned me not to let anyone know what I was doing there. And he also said that he would want me to do the job alone.
“ I struck when I sighted Kunle Poly entering his car. I thought I had succeeded until the next day when I heard that it was his Personal. Assistant who died.
“When I called Olorunwa on the phone to demand the payment of the balance, he did not pick. He eventually picked my call when I called him with my private number, three days later. He told me point blank that he had no balance to pay since I did not get the target.”
I have killed four persons for him
“I was left with no option than to seize his vehicle, one Hyundai Jeep from his driver. I called him to inform him that I had collected his car and that I would not release it until he paid me my balance. I have killed four persons for him. One of them was Baba Jide Dosumu alias Mados in Ebute Meta Lagos. I have also killed for prominent persons in the South West “, he said.
He is a liar – Chief Olurunwa
But 51-year-old Olounwa described the claim as a lie and an attempt to blackmail him.
He said:’ I have never done any business with him. I only met him in Ekiti state at a burial ceremony.”
Asked what the N500,000 he gave to Williams was meant for, Olounwa replied “He told me he was involved in an accident and needed some money. When I travelled to India, he started calling me on the phone, threatening to kill me and members of my family if I did not give him the money.”
When he was also asked why Williams seized his Jeep and why he did not report the threat on his life to the Police, Olounwa exclaimed “ Ah! You don’t know this guy. He is very deadly. Everyone dreads him in Lagos. I gave him the N500,000 out of fear.
Besides, he did not seize my vehicle. The following day after I arrived from abroad, I was informed that he had seized the car from my driver. What I did was to look for somebody that he respected to beg him to bring back my vehicle.
“I could not also report to the Police so as not to endanger my life. I dread this man ( pointing at Williams ). There was a day he sprayed bullets on a vehicle in Ajah and killed nine passengers. He is also responsible for the murder of a former chairman, Mados. I did what I did out of fear “, he stated.
Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Imohimi Edgal, who paraded the suspects disclosed that one AK47 rifle with registration number 3501357, two empty magazines and one black Hyundai Santafee Jeep with registration number EKY 741DL that was seized from Olounwa were recovered from Williams.
Armoury
William’s armoury was also displayed. Astonishingly, his arms and ammunition were concealed inside a loudspeaker. From observation, it was discovered that the speaker inside was removed and replaced with the arms, while a side zip was sewn, from where the arms could easily be brought out. He usually carried it whenever he went to assassinate victims within the South West zone, without security operatives having an inkling that arms were stored inside, even if the vehicle was stopped for a search
Instigation according to the command boss, was still on. Edgal added that the command would go all out for other members at large
VANGUARD NEWSPAPER
