Court remands three over murder of retired OGTV broadcaster, security guard

By Johnson Arua

An Abeokuta Magistrate Court has remanded three suspects at the Oba Correctional Centre for 60 days over the alleged murder of retired Ogun State Television (OGTV) broadcaster, Ms. Kitan Oyesiku, and her security guard, Pelumi Adetayo.

Chief Magistrate O.T. Odubanjo, sitting at Court 3 in the Isabo area of Abeokuta, ordered the remand of Sodeinde Olajuwon Philip, Sobu Obafunsho and Shakirudeen Ayoola pending legal advice from the Ogun State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The order followed an ex parte application filed by the Ogun State Police Command. Police Legal Officer, A.S. Abiodun, told the court that the application, brought under Section 306 of the Ogun State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, sought the suspects' remand while investigations and prosecutorial review were concluded.

Abiodun said the application was supported by a 24-paragraph affidavit deposed to by an officer of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), alongside 17 exhibits and a written address. He urged the court to grant the request in the interest of justice.

Ruling on the application, Chief Magistrate Odubanjo granted the request and adjourned the matter until September 10, 2026.

Confirming the development, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the suspects were remanded pending legal advice from the DPP, assuring the public that the command would ensure justice was served.

"The suspects have been remanded for 60 days on the order of the court pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Ogun State Police Command remains committed to ensuring that everyone connected with the crime is brought to justice," Babaseyi said.

Oyesiku, a retired OGTV staff member, and her security guard were found murdered at her residence in Agodo, Abeokuta, in June after neighbours alerted police over unusual activities. Investigators discovered signs of forced entry, while the victims were found in different parts of the property. Her stolen Lexus RX330 SUV was later recovered during the investigation.

Police Commissioner Bode Ojajuni had earlier disclosed that detectives made a breakthrough after recovering a handwritten note inside the stolen vehicle. He said forensic analysis led to the arrest of the principal suspect, 22-year-old Sodeinde Olajuwon Philip, on June 24, before two other suspects were later apprehended. Police alleged that Philip confessed to coordinating the attack with his accomplices, while investigators also recovered weapons and other exhibits believed to have been used in the crime.