By our staff reporter
The Kwara state police command has launched a discreet investigation into the murder of an 80-year-old man James Ajayi, who was murdered in cold blood in his house at Gbagede quarters, Amoyo town of Ifelodun Local Government Area in Kwara state.
He was reportedly murdered by unidentified assailants on Monday last week.
Baba Ajayi was allegedly murdered between 5-6p.m at his residence, Gbagede area of Amoyo town, a 15 kilometer drive from Ilorin metropolis.
Investigation on Saturday at Gbagede quarters, where the incident occurred indicated that Baba Ajayi was attacked by his assailants while he was alone in the house on the fateful day.
Samson Ajayi, one of his children who was staying with him had gone out prior to the bloody attack but returned at about 6-7p.m to meet his father in the pool of his blood in the sitting room.
He raised an alarm following the discovery and called an Okada rider friend for help, who drove the deceased’s car to carry him to the hospital in Gbagede.
Baba Ajayi, a former Shepherd of the Celestial Church of Christ, was strangled on the neck and had a deep cut on one of his hands.
Attempts to revive him at two private hospitals located at Gbagede proved abortive as Baba Ajayi was rejected due to the severe injuries sustained in the attack.
He was eventually referred to the state civil service clinic, GRA, Ilorin where he was again referred to the General Hospital, Surulere, Ilorin.
Doctors at the General Hospital, Ilorin pronounced him dead and his body was deposited at the hospital’s morgue.
The unknown assailants also burgled the room of the deceased’s wife, Mrs Stella Ajayi and stole N50,000 kept in one of her bags meant for the school fees of one of her children.
A close member of the family, Christie Doyin, Head of WebCast Channels, an internet broadcast medium, who spoke on the incident at Gbagede, said “on the fateful day, Baba Ajayi called me at about 8.30-9a.m to inform me that he wanted to see me.
“A month ago, he had an accident while trying to cross the road in search of petrol and was hit by a car and injured. He just recovered from that incident.
“Around 4.30p.m on Monday when I didn’t see him as expected, I called his phone number without success, then at 8p.m I got a call from one of my relations asking me if I had heard what happened to Baba Ajayi,” Christie added.
She said that on reaching the house of the deceased, they discovered the sitting room littered with blood while the table and chairs were scattered indicating there was a struggle between Baba Ajayi and the assailants during the attack.
Christie, said the matter was immediately reported to the Ganmo Police Station on Tuesday.
She said the DPO, swung into action and led a team of officers to the scene for immediate investigation into the incident.
The police team led by the DPO of Ganmo Police station and some children of the deceased on Saturday visited the morgue of the General Hospital, Surulere, where the corpse was deposited in continuation of investigation into the incident.
Reacting, at the Gbagede residence of the deceased, his wife Stella Ajayi, who is a staff of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, headquarters in Ilorin, said she was away to Minna, Niger State, for a promotion examination when the incident occurred.
She confirmed that it was her son Samson who first discovered his father in a pool of blood in the sitting room on his return to the house in the evening.
Stella also confirmed that the two private hospitals where the deceased was first taken to rejected him due to the fatal injuries sustained.
Spokesman of the state police command, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, confirmed the development.
He said investigation was ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
