The long arm of international policing has caught up with a fleeing Lagos businessman, as INTERPOL operatives arrested an alleged fugitive in Cotonou, Benin Republic, over a string of violent crimes that had unsettled parts of the state.
The suspect, Hammed Tajudeen Akanbi, 38, was formally handed over to the police at Zone 2 Command Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, following his arrest on April 15 after months of coordinated tracking across borders.
Authorities said Akanbi had been declared wanted on February 19 in connection with multiple criminal allegations, including the killings of Prince Ademola Akinloye and Sheriff Ishola Salami in separate but related incidents.
Addressing journalists at the zonal headquarters, Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, disclosed that the suspect was apprehended in a hotel in Cotonou after sustained intelligence-driven operations led by INTERPOL.
Jimoh revealed that the suspect had allegedly moved across different countries in a bid to evade arrest since being declared wanted, complicating earlier investigative efforts by local law enforcement.
He noted that the arrest followed a directive from the Inspector General of Police to reopen and conclude investigations into the killings and other linked cases that had generated anxiety in the Eti-Osa axis of Lagos.
Describing the matter as a complex web of violent crimes, the AIG said the case involved multiple murders, attempted killings and destruction of property spanning several years, with Akanbi allegedly playing a central coordinating role.
According to him, preliminary findings indicated that some arrested accomplices had confessed to carrying out attacks on the instructions of the suspect, who was also accused of financing the operations and deploying assailants to targeted locations, including the Ajiran community.
Police authorities disclosed that Sheriff Ishola Salami was murdered on April 18, 2023, while Prince Ademola Akinloye was killed on August 26, 2024, in incidents investigators described as coordinated and premeditated.
Jimoh maintained that earlier investigations by successive Lagos Commissioners of Police yielded critical leads, while fresh evidence later emerged linking the suspect more directly to the crimes.
He cautioned against misinformation and attempts to politicise the case, assuring that the Nigeria Police Force would pursue justice diligently and ensure that all those implicated are prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The AIG further appealed to victims and members of the public with relevant information, including cases of property destruction, attempted murder or criminal interference, to come forward to aid ongoing investigations.
Also speaking, Commissioner of Police, INTERPOL, Fidelis Ogarabe, said the arrest was made possible through strong international collaboration, with authorities in Benin Republic providing full cooperation throughout the operation.
Ogarabe added that items recovered from the suspect, including travel documents, mobile phones and a luxury vehicle, are expected to provide further insight as investigators deepen efforts to unravel the full scope of the alleged criminal network.