By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Femi Oladele, the prime suspect in the brutal murder of the two missing undergraduate students, Andrew Eloho Okah and John Friday Abba, from the Adekunle Ajain University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), is dead, The Nation has learnt.
The suspect, who was apprehended by detectives from the Ondo Police Command at his hotel in Akungba Akoko, died yesterday at the hospital.
Oladele (a.k.a Tallex) was the students’ landlord, who allegedly masterminded their gruesome killing.
He was reported to have ordered suspected cultists to deal with the victims for being allegedly disrespectful to him.
The two undergraduate students were abducted, robbed, raped and murdered.
The Nation reported the grim discovery of their bodies near the Ondo-Ekiti border, weeks after they were declared missing and absent from classes by coursemates.
Sources, who spoke on Saturday, revealed that the prime suspect suddenly developed a strange illness after allegedly making a confessional statement on the brutal killing of the two students and burying their corpses in a shallow grave.
One of the sources, who pleaded anonymity, told The Nation reporter that the suspect – arrested alongside two other accomplices in the murder case – was rushed to the hospital where he gave up the ghost.
“Tallex (Oladele) is dead. He gave up at the hospital yesterday after he made some confessions to the police over the killings of the two Akungba students. I learnt he had fallen sick shortly after he was arrested,” he said.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the death of the suspect when contacted in a phone chat, saying he was taken to the hospital where he passed on.
Ayanlade, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspect, who allegedly orchestrated the brutal murder of the students who also doubled as his tenants, had been in and out of the hospital following treatment before he died yesterday.
“Yes, he’s dead. Following his arrest, the suspect (Oladele) had been in and out of the hospital under close medical supervision and was receiving adequate care before he died in the early hours of yesterday. As of now, the decomposing remains of Okah have been recovered, while efforts are ongoing to locate Abba’s body,” he said.
The police spokesman explained that two additional suspects identified as one Kola and Micheal, who allegedly withdrew the sum of N800,000 from the late Abba’s account, have been arrested and are currently in custody, fully cooperating with investigation.
“So, we are asking members of the public to disregard any distorted narratives seeking to divert attention from the facts and the Command can assured that justice will be fully pursued and all those involved will be made to face the full weight of the law.
“Although we deeply sympathise with the families, friends, and academic communities of the victims and remain unwavering in our commitment to justice and public safety,” he said.
Ayanlade added that the Command has strengthened security across all higher institutions in the state through increased patrols, undercover surveillance, and community politicing initiatives.