Phone Dispute Turns Deadly: Six-Member Family Murdered, Bodies Dumped in Oyo River

A phone dispute reportedly settled months earlier has been linked to the alleged murder of a couple and their four children at a remote Oyo farm.

Police in Oyo State have arrested three suspects over the alleged murder of a family of six at their isolated sugarcane farm in Lagelu LGA. Investigators are probing a possible link to a dispute over a damaged mobile phone.

A dispute over a damaged mobile phone reportedly settled months earlier has taken a horrifying turn, leaving six family members dead and a secluded farming community in shock.

Deep inside a remote settlement in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State, a lonely road winds through sprawling cocoa farms, palm trees and cassava plantations before reaching Oloba village.

Beyond the settlement, near a river, stood the isolated home of Ifeanyi Chukwu, a sugarcane farmer who lived with his wife and their four children, far from the bustle of urban life.

But the family’s quiet existence reportedly came to a horrifying end on September 22, 2026, when three men allegedly invaded their home, killed the six family members and disposed of their bodies in the nearby river.

Police have arrested two brothers, Hammed Akinbami and Ojo Akinbami, alongside their alleged accomplice, Padonu Edward, over the incident.

The arrests followed an investigation into the alleged murder and robbery, which reportedly saw the suspects cart away cash and farming equipment belonging to the deceased family.

Famous Reporters reports, with reference to The Sun, that the Oyo State Police Command identified the victims as Chukwu, his wife and their four children.

How a phone dispute allegedly escalated into murder

Preliminary police findings suggest that the alleged killings may have been linked to a dispute over a damaged mobile phone several months before the incident.

According to accounts obtained during the investigation, the disagreement was brought before community leaders, who reportedly intervened and settled the matter.

The Chukwu family was said to have paid about ₦50,000 over the damaged phone belonging to one of the suspects, Ahmed Akinbami.

Community members and police sources reportedly confirmed that the payment was made.

Although the dispute appeared to have been resolved, subsequent accounts suggested that tensions may have persisted.

However, the police have yet to publicly establish the motive conclusively, and the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack remain subject to investigation.

At about 7 p.m. on September 22, the family was allegedly attacked in its secluded residence on the sugarcane farm.

According to the police, the assailants were armed with a locally made Dane gun, two cutlasses and a club.

Police detail how family was allegedly attacked

The Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Olayinka Ayanlade, reportedly said preliminary investigations indicated that Ahmed Akinbami allegedly shot Chukwu, while Ojo Akinbami and Padonu Edward allegedly attacked his wife, striking her on the head.

The children were also caught up in the attack.

Police accounts indicated that two of the children, including a five-year-old, were allegedly bound by their hands and legs before being thrown alive into the nearby Osun River.

The remaining members of the family were also reportedly killed, with their bodies disposed of in the river.

The police said the suspects allegedly stole ₦200,000 in cash, a Boxer motorcycle, a Doma machine fitted with a chainsaw and a spraying machine.

The recovery of some exhibits, including the motorcycle and weapons allegedly used during the attack, reportedly formed part of the investigation.

Suspects arrested after police receive intelligence

The police investigation reportedly gained momentum on October 2, when intelligence was received about the incident at approximately 5 p.m.

Detectives were subsequently deployed to the area to examine the scene, take photographs and recover exhibits.

The items recovered reportedly included the family’s Boxer motorcycle, a locally made Dane gun, two cutlasses and a club.

The three suspects were subsequently arrested and detained.

According to the police, the suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime during interrogation. However, the allegations and individual accounts are expected to be examined further as the investigation progresses.

The case has been referred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, for further investigation.

The Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, reportedly directed that the matter be thoroughly investigated.

‘Government should kill us,’ suspect reportedly says

During an interaction with journalists, one of the suspects, Ahmed Akinbami, reportedly linked the incident to the earlier disagreement over the damaged phone.

He acknowledged the deaths of the six family members and expressed remorse over what happened.

When asked what he believed the government should do to the suspects, Ahmed reportedly said the government should kill him and the others.

Another suspect, Padonu Edward, reportedly said he was from the Republic of Benin and had lived in Nigeria for about 12 years.

He described himself as a farmer and claimed that one of the other suspects had invited him to collect money.

However, he admitted to striking the woman on the head with a club.

The third suspect, Ojo Akinbami, reportedly denied personally killing any of the victims but admitted tying up one of the children and participating in taking the child towards the river.

He claimed that he feared for his own life if he refused to participate.

The suspects’ accounts have not been independently established as a complete explanation of the incident. Their claims will require further investigation and judicial scrutiny.

Inside the isolated sugarcane farm where the family lived

The remoteness of the family’s residence has emerged as a significant feature of the incident.

Oloba village is accessible through Ejioku, a community situated between Lalupon and Iyana-Offa along the Ibadan-Iwo Road.

From Ejioku, the journey to the village takes approximately 45 minutes by motorcycle, passing through palm groves, cassava farms and a large cocoa plantation.

The route also crosses a section of the Ibadan Circular Road, which is under construction, as well as two rivers with small bridges.

The settlement is surrounded by thick vegetation, and long stretches of the road have little or no human activity.

When a reporter visited Oloba on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, it emerged that the Chukwu family did not live within the main village but on a sugarcane farm approximately 1.5 kilometres away.

Their residence was reportedly the only house in the immediate bush area, situated close to the river.

The family cultivated sugarcane, vegetables and other crops for their livelihood and household consumption.

Residents also said the children attended school and used their father’s motorcycle for transportation.

‘We warned him not to live alone in the bush’ — Community leader

One of the village leaders, Alagba Olugbade Olufemi of the Akintolu family, told Saturday Sun that Chukwu, popularly known as Baba Chike, had lived in the area for about 10 years.

According to him, the deceased was an Igbo man who obtained land from the late Chief Samuel Oyebode, the Mogaji of the Akintolu family, to cultivate sugarcane.

Olufemi said community representatives had previously advised Chukwu to move into the main village with his family because of the dangers associated with living in an isolated location.

He reportedly declined the advice, insisting that he was comfortable on his farm.

The community leader described Chukwu as a peaceful man who generally minded his own business.

He explained that the farmer usually transported harvested sugarcane to Erunmu Market for sale, sometimes using his car and sometimes relying on a friend who helped transport the produce.

According to the account, the family’s limited contact with other residents may have delayed the discovery of the alleged crime.

A driver who regularly helped transport their sugarcane reportedly became concerned when the family stopped appearing at the market as usual.

The development raised questions about their whereabouts and contributed to efforts to establish what had happened.

Osun River holds unanswered questions

Although the police reportedly recovered the remains of the woman, those of the other five family members had yet to be recovered at the time of the report.

The river, variously referred to by residents as Odo Oba, Osun River or Asejire depending on the location, remains central to efforts to establish the full circumstances surrounding the family’s deaths.

The recovery of the motorcycle, firearm, cutlasses and club could also help investigators assess the suspects’ accounts and other evidence gathered during the investigation.

The police have indicated that further inquiries will be conducted by the State Criminal Investigation Department in Ibadan.

The investigation is expected to establish the precise circumstances of the alleged attack, the roles of the individual suspects and the events leading to the deaths.

‘I never taught them violence’ — Father of two suspects

The father of Ahmed and Ojo Akinbami expressed shock over the arrest of his sons and their alleged involvement in the incident.

The elderly man, who identified himself as Akinbami, told Saturday Sun that he had not noticed behaviour that led him to believe his sons could be involved in such a violent crime.

He said they had engaged in different legitimate occupations, including commercial motorcycle riding, farming and mechanical work.

According to him, Ahmed previously worked as a commercial motorcycle rider in Ibadan before selling his motorcycle and returning to the village to farm.

He said he had tried to persuade his son not to sell the motorcycle but was unsuccessful.

He also explained that Ojo had learnt automobile repairs in Ibadan before returning to the village, where he reportedly began earning money by climbing palm trees and harvesting palm produce.

The father, however, expressed deep frustration over what he described as his sons’ behaviour towards him.

He alleged that they sometimes took the little money he earned from vegetable farming, leaving him struggling to meet his needs.

He reportedly said he would accept the execution of his sons and their alleged accomplice if they were found guilty by a court.

His statement reflected the shock and anger surrounding the incident, although the suspects’ guilt remains a matter for the courts to determine.

Community members raise questions about earlier incidents

The alleged killings have also prompted questions about whether earlier warning signs were overlooked.

A man who encountered the reporter during the return journey from Oloba alleged that some of the suspects had previously been involved in other troubling incidents.

He claimed that one of them had once been found with a human head and that another had allegedly shot his father with a locally made firearm.

These claims were not independently verified in the account and should not be treated as established facts.

The allegations nevertheless underscore the need for investigators to examine any credible evidence of previous incidents that may be relevant to the case.

A community searching for answers

For residents of Oloba and those familiar with the area, the alleged killing of the Chukwu family has raised troubling questions.

How could a disagreement over a damaged mobile phone, reportedly settled months earlier, allegedly escalate into the deaths of six people?

What happened between the reported settlement and the attack?

Could the family’s isolation have made it easier for the alleged perpetrators to carry out the attack without immediate detection?

And what evidence will ultimately establish the individual roles of the three suspects?

For now, many of these questions remain unanswered.

The police investigation and subsequent court proceedings will be crucial in determining what happened on the sugarcane farm on September 22 and ensuring that the circumstances surrounding the deaths are fully established.