Court remands three over alleged murder of former Ogun TV broadcaster

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

A Magistrate Court sitting in Isabo area, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Monday ordered the remand of three suspects arrested in connection to the murder of a retired broadcaster with the Ogun State Television (OGTV), Ms Kitan Oyesiku, and her security guard, Pelumi Adetayo.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.T. Odubanjo, sitting in Court 3, ordered that the suspects, Sodeinde Olajuwon Philip, Sobu Obafunsho and Shakirudeen Ayoola, be remanded at the Oba Correctional Centre for 60 days pending legal advice from the Ogun State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The order followed an ex parte application filed by the Ogun State Police Command seeking the suspects’ remand while investigations and prosecutorial review are concluded.

The Police Legal Officer attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, Mr A.S. Abiodun, told the court that the application, dated July 6, sought an order remanding the suspects “for 60 days in the first instance pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions and subsequent arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction.”

According to him, the application was brought pursuant to Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Ogun State, 2017, and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.

Abiodun informed the court that the application was supported by a 24-paragraph affidavit deposed to by ASP Saka of the Homicide Section of the SCID.

He added that 17 exhibits, alongside a written address, were attached in support of the application.

“The application is in the interest of justice,” the police counsel submitted, urging the court to grant the request.

In her ruling, Chief Magistrate Odubanjo granted the application and ordered the suspects to be remanded at the Oba Correctional Centre for 60 days.

The matter was thereafter adjourned until September 10, 2026.

Speaking with journalists after the court proceedings, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Ogun State, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed the remand order.

He said, “The suspects have been remanded for 60 days on the order of the court pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions for the continuation of the case.

“They were brought before the court in connection with the alleged murder of Madam Kitan Oyesiku and her security guard, Pelumi Adetayo.

“The Ogun State Police Command, under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, Mr Bode Ojajuni, wishes to assure members of the public that justice will be served. No stone will be left unturned to ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice.”

Ms Oyesiku, a retired staff member of Ogun State Television, and her security guard were found dead in a pool of blood at her residence in Agodo, Abeokuta, in June.

The gruesome discovery was made after residents reportedly raised concerns over unusual activities at the deceased’s residence, prompting a police investigation.

Detectives who visited the scene found signs of forced entry and a ransacked building. Adetayo’s body was discovered at the security post, while Oyesiku’s corpse was later found inside the house.

Her Lexus RX330 SUV, initially reported stolen after the incident, was subsequently recovered during the investigation.

Addressing journalists at an earlier press briefing, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bode Ojajuni, disclosed that investigators made a breakthrough after recovering a handwritten note inside the stolen vehicle.

According to him, forensic analysis of the note led detectives to the prime suspect.

Ojajuni said the principal suspect, Sodeinde Olajuwon Philip, 22, was arrested on June 24 at a construction site in the Ibara area of Abeokuta, where he had been working as a labourer.

The police subsequently arrested two other suspects identified as Sakirudeen Abdulraheem Ayoola, 27, a security guard, and Sobu Obafunsho, 36, a bricklayer.

The Commissioner of Police said Philip confessed to coordinating the attack, claiming he acted out of grievances against the deceased while serving as her security guard.

According to Ojajuni, the suspect allegedly told investigators that the attack was intended to “teach her a lesson”.

Police further alleged that the suspects first overpowered Adetayo before using him to gain access to Oyesiku’s residence, where both victims were allegedly murdered.

The police commissioner added that intelligence-led and technical tracking operations later led to the recovery of the stolen Lexus RX330 in the Onikolobo area of Abeokuta.

He said investigators also recovered several exhibits linked to the case, including a broken hammer, a cutlass, a wooden plank and a black pen.

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