Murder of a prof: Tragic drama of how not to be a millionaire

We are pained that those our father employed to protect and take care of him…later ganged-up to kill him just because of his car which they could have taken and spared the old man…”. These were the words of Adeseni, the third child of the former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA, Prof. Albert Ilemobade, uttered in anguish while reacting to the gruesome murder of his 78-year-old father by his two domestic staff- the security guard, Daniel Ita, a security guard and Olayemi Bamitale, his former driver.

Comrades in crime: Daniel(l) and Olayemi with the car they tried to sell after murdering the ex-VC

Adeseni who interrogated the killers of his father at the police station, wondered at the motive of their dastardly action despite all that the family had done for them. Daughter of the deceased, Mrs Ayokanmi Ayuba, said it was a traumatic experience and a great loss to the family. Mrs Ayuba described the action of the two domestic workers as “wicked and unbelievable”.

Ironically, his killers openly confessed that “although Baba was very nice to us but we had to kill him to be able to sell the car and raise good money to set up our own businesses”.

To be a millionaire, kill your boss

Daniel said they planned to sell the car for N2m and share the proceed equally. The market value of the car, according to the police, is over N5 million. Daniel said his plan was to return to Calabar as a millionaire, while Olayemi said he would remarry and start a small business with his own share of the money.

The murder of the Professor of Veterinary Medicine is believed to have been masterminded by his driver of many years Olayemi, 34, a native of Igogo in Ekiti State. Olayemi, according to a family member of the deceased Professor, during the last Easter period drove him to the Chapel of Annunciation in the sleek red RAV 4 SUV marked GGE589CF but disappeared with the car, abandoning his Master in the church. The late Professor was helped back home after all efforts to locate Olayemi failed as he switched off his phone and went away with the vehicle.

After waiting endlessly for him to return with the vehicle for four days, the matter was reported at the Ijapo Police station by the Professor. Consequently, the car was demobilised via a tracking devise and the driver was arrested and the car recovered from him.

It was gathered that he was detained and on a second thought the deceased decided not to pursue the matter any longer and asked that the case against his driver be dropped. But unknown to the former VC, Olayemi haboured deep resentment for his master over his ordeal in police detention. He was further infuriated when the Professor disengaged him after his release from detention.

Revenge of a sacked staff

He was alleged to have told the late Professor pointedly that “the battle has just started”, after he was informed that his service in the house was no longer needed. The deceased reportedly kept the threat to himself but scribbled it in his diary. Olayemi obviously made good his the threat with the gruesome murder of his boss at his Number 40 Ikere Street, Ijapo in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

After Olayemi was disengaged he later found an ally in Daniel Ita, 24, who was the night guard of the deceased. He was said to have convinced the guard who was engaged seven months ago by the deceased that when the deed was done he (Daniel) would be swimming in “ good money” and will return to Calabar, Cross River State as a millionaire and be able to start a lucrative business instead of the job of opening and closing gate for someone.

Daniel heartily embraced the sweet talk and began to see himself as a millionaire in waiting. But he was also made to believe that the obstacle to his dream in this regard was the Professor.

Advice of a herbalist

He was said to have sought advice from a herbalist who warned them not to kill their master but can dispose him of his valuables. Olayemi, however, reportedly brushed away the herbalist’s advice and insisted that the Professor needed to die to make their dream become a reality. A family source was told that Olayemi was unable to sell off the Jeep the last time he took it away for four days because the vehicle has an in built tracking device. So a devilish plan was reportedly hatched on Saturday and was carried out at about 9pm on Sunday.

When Olayemi and his co- killer Daniel were paraded at the State Police Command in Akure, he confessed that Daniel smuggled him into the deceased compound at about 8pm and hid him in the gate house.

The deceased was at the time in bed with his 73-year-old wife, Olakitan. According to their plan, Daniel was to raise an alarm that there was an electric spark where the pumping machine was located within the compound and that the old man should come outside to look at it. This was precisely what happened.

Without any premonition of their evil intention, the elderly Prof fell into their trap. During his confession, the driver informed that he grabbed his former master by the neck, dragged him inside the gate house and strangled him, while Daniel gagged him with some used clothes to prevent him from shouting so as not to attract attention.

Olayemi said the old man struggled but they over-powered him. He added that when it was becoming difficult to kill him he asked Daniel to hold him down while he repeatedly jumped on their victim’s stomach and chest until he breathed his last.

His continued: “We went inside his bedroom and took the car key and some other items like IPad, two phones, laptop, two bags and N7,000 which we used to fuel the car. We left Akure and headed for Lagos. “We left with those items so that the car will not be tracked again because Baba used these gadgets to activate the tracking.” According to him, they were stopped by some policemen at the entrance of the Ijapo estate but said they recognised Daniel as the security man to the deceased and asked us to go without further questioning.

Continuing Olayemi said they encountered some challenges after men of the Federal Road Safety Corps booked them for invalid vehicle particulars and had to sell the phones and IPad for N3,000 in order to pay for the release of the vehicle. “We sold off the phones and laptops after being booked by the Road Safety officials. We sold the phones to retrieve the car from them before heading to Ijebu Ode with the hope of selling the car there, “ he said.

The duo, it was learnt, succeeded in getting to Ogun State where luck ran out on them as the buyer they met became suspicious because of the price they were asking him to pay for the vehicle. The buyer later alerted the Police and they were rounded up at about 4am on Monday where they were lodging.

Prof’s last donation to the Church

The vicar of the Chapel of Annunciation Ven. Rev Ayodeji Fagbemi where the deceased worship said the late Professor was in church during the Father’s Day celebration. Fagbemi recalled that he handed over to him a cheque being his contribution for church development, not knowing that would be his last donation to the Work of God. He described his murder by the two suspects as callous.

According to him the church had been praying for his release on daily basis since he was allegedly kidnapped not knowing that he had been gruesomely murdered by his domestic staff. Meanwhile, the state Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko has declared that the perpetrators of the gruesome murder of the late Prof. Ilemlbade will not go unpunished as he described the late former Vice-Chancellor of FUTA as a man who devoted his life to the service of humanity.