Amid public outrage over the reported killing of a family of six by three suspects following a dispute over a phone, three other suspects arrested by the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) of the Oyo State Police Command have given accounts of robbery operations, including a midnight attack in August that claimed the life of a housewife, Mrs Rukayat. She was allegedly stabbed repeatedly by one of the suspects, Matthew, whose surname is withheld. Her husband, Alhaji Olatokunbo, also suffered stab wounds that left his intestines exposed. He survived after undergoing surgery at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, where he reportedly spent several weeks.

It was gathered that on August 4, the attackers approached their target’s residence in Wofun, in the Olodo area of Ibadan, under cover of darkness and hid in a nearby bush. While the occupants slept, they allegedly waited until the early hours before forcing their way into the building.

What followed was a violent encounter.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed in a statement that the robbers allegedly stole mobile phones, wristwatches, $400 and other valuables worth more than N3 million. Acting on the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Ayodeji Abimbola, VCRU operatives raided the suspects’ hideout at Sabo on October 2 and arrested three of them. An iPhone 7 Plus allegedly stolen during the robbery was recovered.

During the investigation, operatives also linked the suspects to an alleged robbery operation in the Moniya area of Ibadan.

‘I stabbed the man and his wife’

Giving his account of the attack, Matthew admitted to leading the robbery and stabbing the couple during a confrontation inside their home. He said he and two others, Ibrahim and a suspect known as Oyo, who is currently at large, entered the house at about 2:30 a.m. after hiding in a bush within the community for a few hours.

Narrating what happened after the gang gained entry, Matthew told Saturday Tribune that he headed towards the couple’s bedroom. According to him, the occupants woke up when the intruders forced their way into the room and began struggling with them. “That was when I stabbed the man; I won’t lie, I stabbed the man,” he said.

Asked whether he also stabbed the man’s wife, he replied: “Yes, I stabbed his wife also.” He claimed that he stabbed both victims in the neck.

Matthew said the couple fell to the floor after the attack. He added that the man later got up and shouted for help, prompting him and his accomplices to flee.

Daughter’s encounter with suspect

The investigation also uncovered allegations of an attempted s3xual assault on one of the couple’s daughters. Matthew admitted seeing her bathing before the gang entered the house and acknowledged that he later approached her in her room.

Asked whether he attempted to s3xually assault her, Matthew admitted making a move towards her but denied touching her. “I made a move, truly, but I didn’t touch her,” he said. He also acknowledged that she told him she was menstruating. Asked whether that was why he left her alone, he answered in the affirmative.

Another suspect, Tobi, who admitted participating in a separate robbery at Moniya, alleged that the gang relied on information supplied by a man known as Sefianu, whom he accused of dealing in stolen phones and laptops. Tobi said Sefianu identified the house targeted in that operation. “Sefianu was the one who told us of the location, because I didn’t know the place before. He even asked a commercial motorcyclist to take us there,” he said. Tobi alleged that Sefianu operated around Sabo, Mokola, and that the gang returned there after the robbery to sell the stolen phones to him.

From prison to alleged robbery gang

Saturday Tribune also learnt that Matthew and Tobi had previously been held in correctional facilities. Matthew was reportedly arrested in 2020 for alleged armed robbery and remanded while his case was before a court. He claimed that he was released in October 2025 during an exercise to decongest correctional facilities in the state. Tobi, who was convicted of phone theft and sentenced to one year’s imprisonment, was released in June this year.

Tobi said he met Matthew at a birthday party at a hotel in Ibadan in July, where he noticed that the celebrant and other guests were former inmates. The Ogbomoso-born suspect claimed that his meeting with Matthew at the party led to his involvement in robbery.

The third suspect, Ibrahim, admitted joining Tobi in an armed robbery at Moniya but denied participating in the fatal attack on the couple.

“Truthfully, speaking of the place Matthew said he went and killed someone, I wasn’t there at all,” he said. He identified the operation in which he participated as the one allegedly organised with Sefianu’s assistance. (Saturday Tribune)