A thirty-six year-old, who
was notorious for cultism and killings in the Somolu and Bariga areas of Lagos,
was said to have escaped from prison with the help of the policemen and other
judicial officials at large.
Two operatives of the Lagos
State Command are being detained for their alleged involvement in the release
of a suspected murderer, Ibrahim Balogun aka Small-Jpron.
Small-Jpron was earlier
arrested in August 2016, and paraded at the command’s headquarters in Ikeja,
where he confessed his involvement in the killings of three persons.
He had said, “I am an Eiye
cult leader. I joined the cult in 2009. The reason for my joining was to avenge
the death of a close friend, Sunday Folorunsho, aka Small Biscuit.
“It was the Aiye cult
members who killed him. So, the Eiye faction approached me and said I should
join them and they would help me fish out the people who killed my friend. I
have killed three persons, among whom were Femi Wiper and Lekan Akon.”
Small-Jpron was arraigned
at an Ebute-Meta Magistrate’s Court. He disappeared from the public radar
afterwards, but was re-arrested on Monday.
Although the suspect
insisted that he was granted bail by the court, the Lagos State Commissioner of
Police, Fatai Owoseni, while parading him at the command headquarters on
Wednesday, said he escaped from custody in connivance with the two police
operatives.
The CP said the policemen,
whose names were not disclosed, were under investigation, adding that other
persons involved in the suspect’s release would be brought to book.
He said, “The suspect broke
out of prison shortly after he was remanded. The circumstances surrounding his
escape are being investigated. We are also investigating the complicity of two
of our officials in ensuring his escape from the prison.
“We will not leave any
stone unturned. Any judicial official found to be involved will also be brought
to book.”
In a chat with PUNCH Metro,
Small-Japron, who was said to be the leader of the Eiye Confraternity, stated
that he was in the court for trial on the day he was re-arrested.
He explained that the
police had brought him and his “second-in-command,” identified simply as Abbey,
for arraignment in September 2016, when the latter disappeared.
The suspect claimed that he
had denounced his membership of the cult, adding that his “former group”
instigated his arrest.
He said, “When I was in
prison, a brother in my area called Asuma, told me not to worry that he would
ensure my release. He is an omoonile (land grabber). He said he would see one
justice over my case. I didn’t fight anybody again. I had gone to the court on
Monday when policemen arrested me.
“Eiye cult members are
fighting me because I told them I was no longer interested in the group. They
set me up that day.
“The policemen asked me where Abbey was and I
said I didn’t know. They told me that
the prosecutor and the IPO (Investigating Police Officer) had been detained and
that they wanted to know how he escaped on the first day we were brought to
court. I have never jumped bail since I was arraigned in court.”
You can hide but can't escape
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