Suleiman and the other suspects now on the run were believed to have trailed the deceased to Lagos from their base in Ilorin, Kwara state.
Eyewitnesses said the 3-man gang accosted their target along the Carter Bridge, Ebute-Ero in Lagos at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday and walked with him to an end of the bridge before tying his hands to his back and throwing him into the Lagoon.
Passengers on a yellow commercial bus, popularly called Danfo, who saw the victim being hauled off towards the edge of the bridge raised the alarm but the suspects acted swiftly and fled the scene.
In a split second, the suspects executed their plan and fled the scene. A transport worker was said to have given them a chase and tracked down Suleiman.
The body had yet to be recovered from the lagoon as of 12pm on Wednesday.
A member of the National Union of Road Trannsport Worker (NURTW) in the area, Nurudeen Olalekan, said a transport worker close to the scene pursued the suspects but was only able to apprehend Suleiman.
Olalekan said, “One of our members went after them. One of them crossed to the other side of the road and escaped. He pushed the two others to the ground, but before we got to the scene, one had escaped.
“He told us he avenged his son’s death. He later said that the three of them were cult members and based in Ilorin with the victim. He said the victim was a member of a rival gang and that they all left Ilorin because of cult clashes.”
Another eyewitness, Adekunle Onike, said the suspect was handed over to the police at the Ebute Ero Police Division to avert jungle justice.
“ We learnt he had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, from the station,” he added.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, said the police had launched a manhunt for other fleeing suspects.
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