The Ogun State Government, the police and other security agencies have failed to identify or capture the gunmen who shot and killed Taiwo Oyekanmi, the Governor’s Office Director of Finance and Accounts, exactly one year ago.

EQ spoke to family members and sources directly affected by what has been described as a premeditated crime. They expressed concerns about delayed justice.

Oyekanmi was on official duty – withdrawing funds for the state government – when he was murdered. The culprits had blocked him on the NNPC Bridge near Kuto, Abeokuta, sought him out and shot him before leaving with the cash.

READ MORE: 5 Months on, Ogun Finance Director’s Killers Still Free

EQ has also heard a couple of concerning details about November 29, 2023.

A source told EQ that Oyekanmi went to some banks to withdraw several tens of millions of naira. It was an unpredictable trip and the finance director did not move with armed escorts.

EQ heard that Rasheed Adegbite, the Mobile Police officer who was supposed to guard the van with cash, travelled without permission.

The vehicle conveying the cash, widely reported to be a bullion van, was a pickup with a modified back, secured with locks.

When the criminals cornered Oyekanmi’s van on the bridge near Kuto, they arrived in masks with the right tool; a sledgehammer.

Oyekanmi did not have an escort, neither was he armed, yet the attackers identified him before shooting him in the vehicle.

Twelve months on, the state government Oyekanmi worked for has only managed to place an ineffective N50 million bounty on the heads of the killers.

READ ALSO: Ogun Shepherd Narrates ‘Miraculous’ Escape From Fulani Gunmen, Says Orphan Still Held

Kehinde Oyekanmi, Oyekanmi’s widow, told EQ in April that her pain was fresh and the promises of the state government were mostly pledges still.

“I’m not happy; I couldn’t sleep. I remember everything (from November),” Kehinde said on April 22.

“There is nothing we can really do about what has happened. We have accepted our fate. I can only do all that I can for my children. I can only send them upkeep for the month. They understand, especially our first child.”

Dapo Abiodun, the Ogun State Governor, approved scholarships for Oyekanmi’s children in November and made more promises.

The governor has however failed to oversee the capture of his former finance chief’s murderers.

“Taiwo Oyekanmi was my backbone. He was a father, my husband, a mentor and everything to me. I still believe he is with me. I may not be able to see him, but he is with me spiritually. He was a one-in-a-million husband, a very faithful man. A very open-minded man. He was also very kind-hearted, and willing to help so many needy people who came to him. Taiwo Oyekanmi was an angel.”

READ ALSO: Strange Men Shoot Ogun Resident in the Head Outside His Home

Kehinde received the death gratuity just in March, months after the governor approved immediate payment.

But Oyekanmi’s family is more concerned about justice than compensation from the government.

EQ called Omolola Odutola, the Ogun Police Public Relations Officer, to ask for updates on the murder investigation in April.

“In a case like this, a high-profile case, the criminals are very sophisticated and they’ve tried to cover their tracks. We are still investigating this matter, but we don’t have further clues yet. There are no errors or mistakes to capitalise on,” she said.

“We have recovered the vehicle that was used to perpetrate the crime. We know that the public wants to hear that the suspects have been apprehended. No matter how long it takes, we are going to do our job.”

When EQ made more inquiries on Thursday, Odutola asked for time to ask the investigative team if there were new developments.

There was no update at press time.

“The police is just playing hide and seek,” one of Oyekanmi’s siblings told EQ on Tuesday.

A year after the crime was committed and an asset belonging to the murderers was recovered, the police are yet to turn their leads to a breakthrough.
The post Killers of Ogun Finance Director Roam Freely One Year Later appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.