By John Odunayo
The residents of Federal Housing Estate, Phase 2, Afao Road, Ado-Ekiti where the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Ekiti State University, Prof. Femi Olaofe resided and was kidnapped, have called on security agencies to get to the root of the matter.
The residents charged the security agencies comprising operatives of the Police and Department of State Services to do all necessary so that the culprits would be brought to book in order to forestall a re-occurrence of the incidence.
The Chairman of the Estate, Mr Olusola Obatikun, spoke at Are Ekiti when he led a special delegation of the residents on a condolence visit to the palace of the Alare of Are-Ekiti, Oba Boluwade Adebiyi, the monarch of Prof. Olaofe’s hometown.
Obatikun said, “The essence of the visit is to officially report the ugly incidence to the generality of the sons and daughters of Are Ekiti and the world at large, and equally state the efforts of the residents of the Estate before, during and after the kidnap”.
He described the kidnap and gruesome killing of the late Professor as calamitous and deeply painful, saying the incident took all the residents by a great surprise.
Obatikun appreciated the roles played by the security agents, DSS and RRS, the Ekiti State Environmental Services that involved in the search and finding and exhumed of the body of the professor.
The retired university teacher was kidnapped from his residence in the estate in Ado Ekiti on July 9 and he was found dead and buried in a shallow grave along Airport Road at Afao Ekiti on July 31.
Recall that the DSS and police identified Prof. Olaofe’s security guard as the mastermind of the kidnap, which eventually led to the Professor’s murder, the police said six suspects linked to the incident had been arrested while they are still hunting for the security guard.
The estate residents’ chairman, who advised parents to be genuinely concerned about proper development of their wards by discouraging them from the get-rich-quick syndrome which is the order of the day in Nigeria, also appealed to the youths across Ekiti “to imbibe the ethics of ‘Omoluabi’ which our forefathers are known for”.
Responding, the Alare of Are Ekiti, Oba Boluwade Adebiyi, advised every Nigerian to be more security conscious as the security situation of the country has become too worrisome for anyone to take with levity.
The Alare, who warned those engaging the assistance of strangers as home helpers to be weary of people being engaged, called on such individuals “to always endeavour to make all necessary investigations about those helpers for them not to hire and harbour criminals”.
Oba Adebiyi called on the executives of the Estate to do the profiling of all residents and do all things necessary to protect their lives.
Members of the estate delegation included the Vice-Chairman, Pastor Adeola Babalola; the Secretary, Mr Dele Makanjuola; the Woman Leader, Mrs Foluke Akinsuru and elders including the former Registrar of EKSU, Dr Omojola Awosusi; the Director Ekiti State Primary Healthcare, Dr Ayodele Seluwa; and Barr. Tope Adesuyi.
