SUNDAY SAMUEL—A Lagos-based businessman suspected in the deaths of Prince Ademola Akinloye and Sheriff Ishola Salami in separate incidents has been arrested in the Benin Republic through a coordinated cross-border operation.
The suspect, Hammed Tajudeen Akanbi, was earlier declared wanted on February 19 and later handed over to the Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Zone 2 Command in Onikan after his arrest on April 15.
Security authorities also allege he was involved in property destruction and financed armed individuals linked to the killing of the prince in the Ajiran area.
Speaking at Zone 2 Command headquarters, AIG Olohundare Moshood Jimoh said the 38-year-old was arrested at a hotel in Cotonou after months of intelligence-led tracking, noting that he had moved across several countries in an attempt to avoid capture.
He explained that the development followed a directive from the Inspector-General of Police to reopen and conclude investigations into the killings and related violent cases in Lagos.
According to him, the matter covers multiple offences including murder, attempted murder, and destruction of property, with the suspect earlier declared wanted alongside several alleged accomplices.
Jimoh said preliminary findings suggest that some suspects in custody confessed to carrying out attacks based on instructions allegedly linked to Akanbi, who was also said to have provided funding.
He disclosed that Sheriff Ishola Salami was killed on April 18, 2023, while Prince Ademola Akinloye was murdered on August 26, 2024, both in the Eti-Osa axis of Lagos in what investigators described as coordinated attacks.
He added that fresh evidence had strengthened earlier investigations conducted by previous police leadership, while warning against misinformation and politicisation of the case.
The police urged anyone with relevant information or affected by related incidents to come forward and assist ongoing investigations, assuring that all reports would be properly examined.
INTERPOL official Fidelis Ogarabe confirmed that the arrest was made possible through collaboration with Benin Republic authorities after intelligence pinpointed the suspect’s location in Cotonou. He added that recovered items, including travel documents and mobile phones, would support further investigations.
