Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights has raised a troubling alarm over the alleged disappearance of the prime suspect in the murders of two residents of the Ajiran community in Lagos State, just days after a High Court ordered his remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre. The rights group, addressing journalists at a press conference in Lagos on Friday, July 17, 2026, called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suspect's disappearance and ensure compliance with the court order.
The suspect, Alhaji Ahmed Tajudeen (also known as Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi), is the alleged principal sponsor of the killings of Mr. Sheriff Ishola Salami and Prince Kazeem Ademola Akinloye, two prominent members of the Ajiran community in Eti-Osa Local Government Area. According to police investigations and confessional statements by arrested suspects, Tajudeen was identified as the mastermind and financier of both murders. The victims were killed in separate incidents: Salami was allegedly murdered in Moba, Eti-Osa Local Government Area, on April 18, 2023, while Akinloye was reportedly assassinated along Chevron Road on August 26, 2024.
The case took a dramatic turn when Tajudeen fled Nigeria to evade prosecution. He was later apprehended through international collaboration involving the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, on April 15, 2026, and subsequently returned to Nigeria to face trial. His arrest had restored some confidence in the justice process, with formal prosecution expected to commence.
However, the rights group now alleges that Justice Muyideen of the Igbosere High Court ordered that Tajudeen be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending further proceedings, but the order was allegedly not complied with. "It is on record that Honourable Justice Muyideen issued an order that the prime suspect be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending further proceedings. We have received credible reports indicating that the suspect was not remanded as ordered by the court," said Comrade Alex Omotehinse, President of CHSR.
Omotehinse further alleged that correctional authorities declined to take custody of the suspect on the grounds of ill health, but no medical report was presented before the court to justify the refusal, nor was any application filed seeking a variation of the remand order. "The whereabouts of the suspect remain unknown as we speak. What we are witnessing is not a minor administrative lapse but a deliberate violation of a subsisting court order," he alleged.
The organisation also raised concerns over what it described as attempts to undermine police investigations through sponsored social media campaigns, accusing bloggers of intensifying efforts to intimidate police authorities and present crime suspects as victims. The Lagos State Police Command, however, has denied allegations of shielding the principal suspect, insisting that the probe and all actions taken in the case were conducted with due process and in compliance with court directives. A credible senior police source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, ordered a comprehensive review of the case on January 8, 2026, following a formal petition by the Ojomu Chieftaincy family.
The source explained that the suspect's continued stay in police custody followed a court order issued after his health deteriorated while in a correctional centre, directing that he should remain under police supervision while receiving treatment at a federal medical facility until he was medically fit to stand trial. The source maintained that the investigation and prosecution had continued in accordance with established legal procedures and that the substantive hearing in the case remained scheduled for November.
The conflicting accounts have deepened public concern over the handling of one of Lagos State's most closely watched criminal cases. The murders of Salami and Akinloye sent shockwaves through the Ajiran community and sparked widespread outrage, prompting demands for justice from traditional authorities, community leaders, civil society organisations and residents. With the prime suspect's whereabouts now allegedly unknown, the families of the slain victims and the wider community are demanding answers, while the rights group has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suspect's disappearance and the compliance with the court order.
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