Late APC chieftain Odimayo was kidnapped by wood suppliers he employed

Late Olumide Odimayo, a chieftain of All Progressive Congress, APC, in Ondo State, was kidnapped by the persons he contracted to supply him wood for a building project.
The suspects, a 50-year-old man, Francis Bekewei; his son, David, and six others were arrested over the kidnap and death of Odimayo, a former House of Assembly candidate.
They were paraded in Akure by the state Commissioner of Police, Hilda Harrison, who said their leader had been shot dead in the process of rescuing the victim. She lauded the community’s youths for “aiding men of the force to fast track the arrest of the abductors after they killed and dumped the body at Ajagba Creek.” She added that the body has been deposited at the hospital for autopsy.
According to the Commissioner, the suspects invaded the residence at about 6a.m. on June 16 and started shooting sporadically before they took him to the creeks.
The CP said one AK-49 rifle with 21 round of ammunition was recovered from David and that efforts are on to arrest other fleeing members of the gang, while the arrested suspects will be arraigned in court at the conclusion of investigation.
‘How we kidnapped him’
In an interview, one of the suspects, Fikesei, said that he was contacted by the deceased to help him with some wood for the construction of his house in the community.
He added that he was to supply the 6,000 pieces of wood and that he had to contact the father and the son to assist in the supply of the wood.
His words: “It was while we were discussing the supply that the father and his son suggested that we kidnap the deceased, saying he has money.”
The 22-year-old son, David, said he was the one who carried the victim all through the creek and that he dropped him after he discovered that the youths in the community and the Police were getting closer to where they were hiding.
David denied that they killed the victim, but said he died of exhaustion after walking a long distance in the creeks.
He said: “We dropped him inside the water, when we discovered that the youths and the police detectives were very close to us.”
Ekan Roman, who was also paraded, said that he was contacted by the deceased to help him look for a timber contractor, hence his suggestion of the man and his son. He said that he was not part of the kidnapping arrangement, but was arrested for introducing the father and son to the deceased.