REMEMBERING BANJI ADAFIN WHO WAS KILLED BY ARMED ROBBERS

          The late Adafin

 

 

..........Came from America for holiday, killed by armed robbers 

......Robbers caught 

.......Adafin's soul will now rest in peace -Kofo Osun

   

          The late Adafin

    JOURNEY OF NO RETURN

     He bade his friends and family members in St.Louis, Missouri- America goodbye,  boarded the flight and flew to Nigeria  and then to his home town ,Owo , Ondo State to see his family members. Unfortunately he did  not know that was the last time he would  see his friends in America and in Owo. He didn't return  to  Owo or to   God's own Country again. Instead of him to  return, it  was his   sad news that was sent to his friends and family members through cellphones  that he had been killed in his house at No 5, Temidire Street , Akure, Ondo State.

Today is exactly two years when the man was brutally cut down in his house by armed robbers.

An unconfirmed accounts said immediately the robbers left , Adafin who was bleeding profusely   as a result of the gunshot wound was taken to the hospital but in the end he gave up the ghost.

     WHO DUNN IT?

Family members and friends cried their hearts out.They rolled on the ground while some could not eat for days.It was a bad news. ''Who could have done this?. Was it planned?. Are enemies at  work?. This is the handiwork of  Awon aiye!, Kai Aiye le!. Aiye akamara. Aiye toto funn!! ''.  Speculations upon speculations.

  When they were told that it was armed robbery attack , some still doubted and believed something was fishing! Ejo lowo ninu. How did they know he has just come from America?

Thank God for the experienced security men and technology, according to information, through the phones, ipad and other computer materials  the  armed robbers  carted  away they  were caught .They had disposed the phone and was traced , and the rest they say , is  history. The seven  armed robbers were rounded up, arrested and paraded .  August last year they  were sentenced to death by hanging having found them guilty of the horrendous crime.

  The above is  briefly the story of a 55year- old man who never knew he would not come back to continue his grocery business  in America .Had he known what would befall on him  he would not have traveled. No soothsayers and  no predictions.

 ST. LOUIS -AMERICA MOURNED

When the news broke all Owo Indigenes living  in St .Louis were in total  shock. Some denied he couldn't have died cheaply like that.

         Families and friends of the late Banji Adafin who was a victim of armed robbery attack  praised the judgment passed by Justice Ademola Bola in the Ondo State High Court , on the armed robbers who killed Adafin . According to his friends , they are now satisfied as the deceased's soul will now rest in perfect peace.

HIS LIFE IN MISSOURI

Adafin during his lifetime  was well known in St. Louis community in Missouri, America for his generosity and kindness especially among his Owo community members. "The news of his death jolted all of us , infact when we had a candlelight  procession  and burial ceremony for him here we were all weeping for he was known to us all as a nice man among us here", Samson Adekunle Obanigba said.         

Speaking with some of his friends at St.Louis , in Missouri, America , they said they now believe there could be justice no matter how long. They praised the Nigeria Police who fished out the killers and also gave kudos to the presiding Judge for not being biased ." Now the case is laid to rest while we can have hope in Nigeria Judiciary", Lobo Gboyega Agaun , a native of Owo who is based in St.Louis , Missouri said . Agaun is a business man , and was very close to the late Adafin in St Louis , Missouri.

         Lanre Obele who also lives in St.Louis said he knew the late Adafin at the popular restaurant African Palace Restaurant at St Louis in Missouri as they used to meet at Owo monthly meeting .

Obele said " The last time I saw  him  was when Pastor Niyi Aruwajoye was celebrating his daughter's graduation ceremony when he [ Adafin]  was at  the party at the African Palace , St. Louis here .The late Adafin was a very free man, he was free with everybody.

 The late Adafin posing at his grocery store

 

  " I heard the bad news over the phone that he was robbed at home and it was a great shock to us here in America "

     On the judgement passed Obele said "we are happy that judgment has been delivered but it should be carried out to the letter. Up till now we don't know the root of this robbery whether it is a real robbery or not .The convicts should be brought to the public for public execution for everybody to see them on the stake , as simple as ABC.That is when we can surely believe that justice was delivered and carried out.Because in Nigeria anything can happen ".

Obele added " I appreciate the Police getting the robbers, it is a big kudos to the police and also to the Judiciary but they should make these armed robbers' execution be open to us all to see, it is then  that we  will believe that total judgment is done".

Mr. Kofo Osun the managing director of African Palace Restaurant at St. Louis in Missouri and Akure [ Nigeria] described the late Adafin as a complete gentleman ."I know him very well as a complete gentleman , he was hardworking and passionate with everybody. The death of the man jolted everybody here . I was also in Nigeria when I heard the ugly incidence .We were all shocked for a man to have traveled all the way from America to Nigeria his home country to be killed . . I broke down and wept bitterly because we were really close. He was a friend to one of my younger brothers ".

Osun who was visibly   shaken  said anytime his mind flashed back to the episode he always felt bad, he however added that  " the incident should not discourage anybody from going home. America is not our home, we should not because of this case stopped coming home, now we can be assured that our Governor is trying his best on  security .Look at how these stupid robbers were caught , that is where the efficiency of our police counts and the Judiciary is respected the more.Thank God justice is done , the soul of Adafin can now rest in peace .He was a young man about 55 years , I have known him since when he was in Nigeria as a friend to one of my younger brothers .The judgment has been served. From day one I knew that the suspects will be caught."

LOBO AGAUN SPEAKS

Lobo Gboyega Agaun who has been in Missouri for the past 10 years said the late Adafin has been a very nice uncle , reliable, honesty and kind, we communicate every blessed day.

        The late Adafin with Agaun

 

      According to Agaun, the late Adafin has been here in America since 1985 .He was a very hardworking man , he studied here and was a qualified nurse here. He with his nursing job also had a grocery store called African Caribbean Grocery Store in Indiana area in St Louis here .He was a successful man.I used to help him ship some of  his  things home like his cars. The Grocery store has since been shut down after his death , some of his property has been donated to the homeless and the remaining few things will be shipped home" , he said .

On how he heard the ugly news , Agaun said "It was the late Adafin's best friend in Missouri ,Daniel Kayode that called to tell me , the wife of the late Adafin also called me too the second day it happened''.

Agaun said he was always called by the deceased to come and pick him up at the airport anytime he comes back from Nigeria .Infact before this last trip I went to pick him up St Lambert Airport , "he used to bring kolanuts and bitter kola from my late grandmother , mama Olobi, from Nigeria. Our  last  discussion was to travel together to Nigeria to attend  the burial ceremony of  his  grandmother but unfortunately it never happened .He was a good giver and never hesitated to dish out for anybody".

Talking about the rumour that the late man was a Cult  member , Agaun said " he was never a Cult member as the rumour suggested, I was very close to him , the robbers only wasted him, it's very painful".

Samson Adekunle Obanigba said  " I knew him since 1994, his character  was good, he was exceptional in kindness. I don't think anybody that knew him  could fault him for he was a very, very nice man.The first time I knew him was 1994 , I was living with my brother Niyi Osun, he was said to be very nice. He prepared home soup . I was introduced to him that I just came from New York ,  he excused me from them and  went ahead to give me 40 dollars . I said it during  his funeral  ceremony we did for him in St.Louis here.  All our children in St. Louis are his kids, he would buy candies for our kids ,Banji was a good man to everybody ", Obanigba said while shedding tears.

Chief Gboyega Aruwajoye described the death of the late Adafin as too sad to remember, he said '' It was on this very day when America was celebrating their independent anniversary that the sad news of the man was broken . It was Mr. Kofo Osun who called from Nigeria and told us that he had been killed. We didn't believe, infact the food we prepared were wasted nobody could taste the food again. The barbecue we had on fire got  burnt for everybody was just crying.That was the end of the celebration. It was a sad day , we cannot forget at all.'' Talking about his character, Aruwajoye said '' he was a very nice man, nice to a fault''.

KUDOS TO JUDGEMENT

The Owo indigenes  in St. Louis ,Missouri-America gave kudos to the judgement ruled out by the  Justice Ademola Bola in Ondo State High Court, Akure.

On the Judgement, Obanigba said it is fair ,"it's what we want and it's satisfactory . If Nigeria is acting like this the bad ones will behave when rules and regulations are duly followed .We are enjoying the rule of laws here in America."

           The  late Adafin feeding his birds

 

The Ondo state High Court in Akure  on August 23, brought the robbery case to an end as Justice Ademola Bola delivered the judgement after a year of legal tussle , and sentenced seven members of an armed robbery gang to death by hanging for killing a United States - based businessman , Banji Adafin .The  armed robbers were  found guilty and therefore to die by hanging.

The convicts were also said to have carted away his  valuable items including iPad, phone, television set, laptops and some huge unspecified amount of money .

The charges proffered against the victims included conspiracy to commit armed robbery contrary to and punishable under section 6(b)of the robbery and firearms ( Special Provision) Act cap R11 Volume 14 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The convicts to die by hanging and firing squad included Jimoh Sodiq( a.k.a Akamo), Blessing Ogunlade, Yomi Balogun(a.k.a Regal), Akeem Adedayo, Oso John Omoniyi( a.ka. Bosco) and Sodiq Babatunde .

The eighth convicted person is Damilola Samuel ( a.k.a Mama) who is a girlfriend to one of the other convicts bagged one- year jail term .

In his ruling , the Judge , Justice Ademola Bola, said the convicts were guilty of the offenses they were charged with .

The judge also found them culpable of illegal dealings in arms and ammunition contrary to section 9 and punishable under sections 271(1)(b) of the Firearms Act, Cap F26 laws of the federation.

 

DECEASED'S WIFE'S  ACCOUNT

The wife of the late Adafin , Abimbola Adafin had during the trial gave a vivid description of how the armed robbers invaded their home and killed her husband." I was inside the bedroom with my husband and daughter when I heard Hannah Temitope( a relative and Debirah Petti( a housemaid suddenly scream at the top of their lungs which made me rush out of the bedroom to the living room", she told the court

" When I got to the sitting room, I saw why the two women screamed .They were held at gunpoint by two armed robbers .When I saw the armed robbers , I panicked and ran back to the room. Unknown to me , the armed robbers had gained access inside the house through the kitchen door".

She told the court that when the housemaid screamed for help , she was threatened to keep quiet or else she would be shot, and was ordered to lie down along with the family's relative, while the armed robbers beat the women with an iron rod.She testified further that the robbers took away 2 Samsung plasma television sets, her husband's Samsung phone, one techno phone and an electric pressing iron .

A DSS official , Olajiri Fadipe , who also spoke in court , revealed that six of the gunmen were actively involved in the armed robbery , the seventh accused person had supplied unlicensed firearms for the operation .

In her statement , Damilola Samuel had confessed that she was in relationship with the second defendant , Blessing Ogunlade , which had made her do his bidding when he asked her to remove some incriminating items from his home .

That is the sad end of a nice  Owo  indigene who spent 32 years in America and  has made the ancient town proud.