By Christopher Oji and Benita Obiodunukwe

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The traditional ruler (Baale) of Oshoroko Village, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, Chief Olusegun Oyeri, and three others have been arrested over the murder of a police Inspector, who was allegedly buried alive.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the suspects yesterday, alleged that the Baale and the three other suspects, including his children, masterminded the killing of Inspector Sunday Musa, whose corpse was hidden for nine months.
The CP said the police search for the body of Musa and his AK-47 service rifle proved abortive until Tuesday, when his decomposing body and weapon were discovered in a shallow grave at the waterfront, following a tip-off.
Owoseni said: “Inspector Musa Sunday disappeared from a scene of crime in Ibeju-Lekki when he and other officers were deployed to maintain law and order. While on patrol, they were alerted by the community of a communal fight between two families over land issues.
“Dutifully, they joined the informant, but on getting there, one of the families in the community callously turned against the patrol team and, at the end of the fight, the team returned without Musa.
“The next day, I went there and met the traditional rulers and elders of the community and appealed to them to release the Inspector, if they had him in their custody, but they denied seeing him.
“We put together a team of policemen, with technical support from the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) led by DSP Philips, and they sustained investigations. Based on intelligence report, nine months later, his decomposed body was found buried along the waterway with his AK-47 rifle.
“We swung into action and arrested the Baale of the community and three others. The law does not respect anyone and we want to use this to send a message to criminals pretending to be custodians of our culture. We have declared the two children of the Baale wanted, as they have been on the run.
“During investigation, we gathered that the Baale compelled the community to swear an oath of secrecy to cover the crime and also refused to produce his two sons.
“After our investigation, the suspects will be charged to court for murder and other related offences.”
In his reaction, the Baale denied any involvement in the killing of the police Inspector, saying: “I was not involved in the killing. It was the youths that killed him. The youth leader called me and told me that they killed a policeman. I blamed them for killing a law enforcement agent. I don’t know why they should go to that extent of killing a policeman. That is all I can tell you. I am innocent of the all legation.”