The leader of an armed robbery gang, Blessing Okon, has recounted how he and other members of his gang macheted their colleague, Shahabi Jadi, to death 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 of the robbery identified as Gabriel Japhet, 26; Osha Phenus, 23 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, and 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 greed 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,” he said.
“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.”
Japheth, however, said: “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.”
Parading the suspects at the Command headquarters in Akure, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Oladimeji Asabi said they killed the deceased for allegedly shortchanging them after one of their operations.
“On October 28, 2023, the Police was informed about an attack, that one Shahabi Jadi was macheted to death along Ehinowo camp via Ondo town,” the CP stated.
“Upon receipt of the information, Police through intelligence gathering, arrested one Blessing Okon. And during interrogation, the young man gave viable Information that led to the arrest of the following suspects, Gabriel Japhet, Osha Phenus, and Gbenga Timothy.
“The suspect further stated that the deceased was a member of their robbery squad, but that they had a scuffle when he cheated them and refused to give them their share of the proceeds of their loot.”
