Adeola Williams aka Ade Lawyer, who confessed to several assassinations has been arrested by Lagos State Police Command. He says he has killed four people allegedly on the orders of a former Chairman of National Union Road of Transport Workers, Lagos State branch, Alhaji Akani Olorunwa.
Ade Lawyer, 39 and 51-year-old Olorunwa were paraded on Friday at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja.
It was learnt that the ex-NURTW boss was picked up on Thursday while Ade Lawyer was arrested a day earlier in Akure, Ondo State, by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team.
They were arrested for the murder of Ganiyu Ayinla alias Pinero, the personal assistant to the NURTW chairman in Idumota, Azeez Lawal (AKA Kunle Poly).
Pinero was killed on January 23 during an attack on Kunle Poly as the duo wanted to enter a vehicle after attending a meeting on Lagos Island.
The police had earlier arrested four suspects in connection with the murder.
Ade Lawyer told journalists on Friday that Olorunwa contracted him to kill Kunle Poly and they agreed on N1.5m to execute the plan.
He said Olorunwa paid him N500,000 and promised to pay the N1m balance after the deed had been done.
A rift, however, set in between the two suspects as Ade Lawyer eliminated the wrong target.
Ade Lawyer said apart from Olorunwa, he had been hired to kill people in the past by some individuals in the state, including traditional rulers, whose names he did not mention.
He said, “I have been hired to kill many people. I carried out four killings for him (Olorunwa). During the clash between him and Musiliu Akinsanya, alias MC Oluomo, I killed two people for him. He said Kunle Poly betrayed him and contracted me to kill him.
“He told me he brought KunlePoly into NURTW and that there was a bonus he was entitled to as an ex-chairman of NURTW. He said he used to receive the money, but Kunle Poly blocked the payment.
“He said as a result of that, he did not want to see Kunle Poly anymore. He asked me to meet him somewhere for a discussion, but I told him I didn’t have a car. He personally drove to where I was at Igbosere and we discussed on how to carry out the operation in his car.
“When I was about to leave, he gave me N500,000 and promised to pay the remaining N1m when the job had been done. He said he met with me in person because he did not want anybody to know about the operation. I assured him that nobody would hear about the killing.”
Ade Lawyer explained further that the operation was supposed to be carried out on Tuesday January 22, but was shifted to the following day.
“Unfortunately, we missed our target, Kunle Poly, but killed his PA (Pinero). I called Olorunwa on the telephone to inform him about the development. He started behaving strangely towards me because I missed the target.
“I later called him with my private line and he said he did not want to talk to anybody for now. I told him not to be afraid and that I wanted the N1m balance,” he added.
Ade Lawyer said Olorunwa sent a Toyota Camry to him through his (Olorunwa’s) brother called Skoda, pending when the balance would be paid. But he said he rejected the car and demanded a Jeep. He stated that he got the Jeep three weeks ago.
Olorunwa admitted to giving Ade Lawyer N500,000, but said the money was not meant for killing Kunle Poly.
He said, “There was a time I was travelling to Ede in Osun State, he (Ade Lawyer) called me and said he had an accident along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. He was disturbing my boys that they should tell me to assist him.
“I did not render the assistance until I travelled to England. While I was abroad, he was sending threat messages to me, saying that if I failed to give him money, he would kill me and my family members.
“When I came back, I called one of my boys and told him about Ade Lawyer’s threats. He advised that I give him something because he is a troublesome person. I then sent him to give Ade Lawyer N500,000 to avoid trouble.
“I did not send my brother to give him my car. It was my brother who gave him the car on his own. I was sleeping when my son and one of my brothers woke me up. They said Skoda had given my car to Williams (Ade Lawyer).
“I contacted Abija to help me retrieve my vehicle and he promised to get it back for me but said I had to be patient.
“What made me to fear Williams most was when he shot dead about nine people who were heading for Lagos Island from Ajah in a vehicle. He also killed a NURTW chairman at Oyingbo.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, who paraded the suspects, said they were arrested based on the confessional statements of their accomplices arrested earlier.
The CP said, “One AK-47 rifle with number 3501357, two empty magazines, one black Hyundai Santafee Jeep seized from Olorunwa were recovered from Adeola Williams (AKA Ade Lawyer). Investigation is ongoing and effort is being made to arrest other suspects at large.”
