The South West Youth Alliance (SWYA) has mounted a strong defence of Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, AIG Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, insisting that available official records and the chronology of the Ajiran murder investigation do not support allegations of corruption and abuse of office levelled against the senior police officer.
The group described the allegations as a calculated campaign of misinformation aimed at undermining public confidence in the administration of justice and discrediting the ongoing investigation into the killings of Prince Ademola Akinloye and Sheriff Ishola Salami.
In a statement signed by its Coordinator, Adenike Ajanlekoko, SWYA maintained that its review of the investigative timeline, police records and prosecutorial process showed that the investigation followed established legal procedures from its reopening through the arrest, prosecution and ongoing trial of the principal suspect.
“We state categorically that AIG Jimoh Olohundare is not corrupt, has never acted outside the law in the Ajiran murder case, and cannot by any stretch of imagination be described as a threat to justice. The facts speak for themselves, and those attempting to rewrite the facts are doing a great disservice to the rule of law,” the group stated.
According to the Alliance, investigations into the killings were reopened following fresh intelligence, leading to the arrests of Safiu Fatai, popularly known as “Fabo”, on January 24, 2026, and Yusuf Ismaila, also known as “Bariga”, on February 6, 2026.
It noted that businessman Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi was subsequently declared wanted by the Lagos State Police Command on February 20, 2026, before being apprehended in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, on April 15, 2026, following what it described as months of intelligence gathering and cross-border collaboration.
SWYA further stated that after Akanbi’s return to Nigeria, investigators obtained additional statements while retaining the original statements earlier recorded from the suspects. According to the group, those earlier statements remain part of the official investigative record, with duplicate copies available at the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The Alliance argued that public commentary on the matter has focused largely on statements allegedly obtained after Akanbi’s arrest while overlooking the earlier investigative materials that formed part of the police case file.
It also defended the integrity of the investigating team led by Superintendent of Police Adamu, describing its members as experienced officers with proven records in dismantling kidnapping syndicates, armed robbery gangs and other violent criminal networks across Lagos State.
According to the group, after reviewing the case file and available evidence, the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions recommended prosecution, following which Akanbi was arraigned before the Lagos State High Court, where proceedings remain ongoing.
SWYA also referenced a commendation issued by the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), which praised AIG Jimoh’s professionalism, diligence and oversight of the investigation while urging continued neutrality and discipline by officers connected with the case.
The Alliance further alleged that some of the public narratives surrounding the matter may have originated from individuals sympathetic to the accused persons. However, that allegation has not been independently verified.
Warning against attempts to influence public opinion while criminal proceedings remain before the courts, the group stressed that no individual, regardless of social media following or popularity, should assume the role of investigator, prosecutor and judge in a matter pending before a court of competent jurisdiction.
“If anyone genuinely possesses information capable of assisting the case, the proper place to present such evidence is before the appropriate authorities or the court, not through media trials capable of prejudicing ongoing proceedings,” the statement added.
The Alliance called on Nigerians to reject attempts to politicise or sensationalise the Ajiran murder case and instead allow the judicial process to run its full course.
It maintained that confidence in the criminal justice system is best preserved when investigations are guided by evidence, prosecutions by law and verdicts by the courts rather than by competing narratives in the public space.
The Ajiran murder case remains before the Lagos State High Court. Under Nigerian law, every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Headlinenews.news investigative Desk.
