The Bayelsa State Police Command has disarmed and arrested a Police Sergeant attached to Akenfa Division, Timadu Emmanuel over the alleged murder of a Petroleum Engineering Student of the Niger Delta University,NDU, Tariela Nikade during a raid of criminal hideouts at Tenacious Road, Edepie in Yenagoa, DAILY POST can report.

The Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Asinim Butswat disclosed this while reacting to the dastard killing of the twenty-year-old Student.

DSP Butswat who condoled with the family of the deceased said justice must be served in the matter.

He expressed regrets over the unfortunate incident involving a Police Officer and residents of the area.

According to DSP Butswat,” On 23 November, 2018, at about 19:30 hours, Sergeant Timadi Emmanuel attached to a patrol team of Akenfa Division, while on patrol at Tinacious Road, Edepie, under questionable circumstances shot one Tariela Nikade ‘m’ 20 years. The victim was rushed to the hospital, where he was later confirmed dead.

“The Sergeant has been disarmed, arrested and is undergoing orderly room trial. The investigation is in progress and its outcome will be made public.

“The Command is hereby appealing to residents to be calm and assures the family and the general public that justice will be done”.

It would be recalled that the disarmed Police Sergeant allegedly gunned down the student on Friday night.

The incident made residents of Akenfa area to stage a protest against the murder of the student.

Police raids have been ongoing in most parts of the State due to the upsurge in crime and criminality.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Thursday gave reasons why it resolved to retain for the 14th consecutive time its controlling monetary policy rates.
At the end of the 264th meeting of the committee in Abuja, CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, said all 11 members in attendance voted to leave the monetary policy rate (MPR) unchanged at 14 per cent, just as cash reserve ratio (CRR) was retained at 22.5 per cent and Liquidity Ratio at 30 per cent.
The asymmetric corridor was also left unchanged at +200 and -500 basis points around the MPR.
In his post-meeting media briefing, Mr Emefiele said the committee resolved to leave the economic parameters unchanged despite other options to either loosen or tighten, due to continued confidence in them to moderate domestic prices and stabilize the foreign exchange market.
According to the CBN governor, the committee believed relaxing the policy rates would encourage the flow of credits to the real sector, help reduce aggregate cost of credit and stop business spending and investment.
This, he pointed out, would reinforce CBN’s support for output growth and economic recovery and align with its primary mandate of monetary policy and price stability.
However, Mr Emefiele said the MPC noted that relaxing the rates would rapidly reverse all the gains of price and exchange rate stability achieved so far, given the liquidity impact that would ensue.
Consequently, he said the committee believed the ensuing liquidity would exert pressures on the exchange rate and further depress the capital market, in the light of increased capital flow from monetary policy normalization by the US federal department.
Similarly, the CBN governor said the committee decided against tightening the existing policy rates, considering that doing otherwise would strengthen the stability of the foreign exchange market.
“Because of the dampening effect on the demand for foreign exchange, the committee was convinced tightening will simultaneously dampen investment growth, widen the output gap, depress aggregate demand and weaken output growth,” he stated.
Noting the relative stability in the foreign exchange market, the CBN governor attributed this to the sustained policies of the banks to increase the supply of foreign exchange from autonomous sources.
Although foreign reserves decreased from $42.6 bn at the end of September 2018 to $41.53 bn on November 16, 2018, he said this reflected the sustained profit-taking activities by portfolio investors, as foreign yields become increasingly more attractive abroad.
Also, he said the equities segment of the capital market has remained bearish, with all share index decreasing by 8.7 per cent, from 34,848.45 on August 31 to 32,058.28 on November 16.
Market capitalisation equally decreased by 8.7 per cent, from 12.72 trillion to N11.73 trillion during the same period.
However, the MPC expressed optimism the economy would experience the reversal of the declining trend in the medium term given the current efforts by government to further improve investor confidence and the relative stability in the investors and exporters window of the Nigerian foreign exchange market.
The overall macro-economic indices for the economy, the committee projected, remained positive for the fourth quarter of 2018.
Members hinged the turnaround on the expectation of the effective implementation of the economic recovery and growth plan and the 2018 budget; improvement in the security challenge; enhanced flow of credits to real sector and stability in the foreign exchange market, to redirect the economy on the path of inclusive and sustainable growth.
“Improvement in productivity in the oil and non-oil sectors are also expected drive output growth in the medium term, with the downside risks to include reduced portfolio flows and inflows, absence of fiscal buffers, low domestic credits and we aggregate demand,” he said.

The Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Danbatta, on Thursday raised the alarm over shutting down of telecommunications base stations by some state governments and agencies.

Danbatta, who raised the alarm at the South-West stakeholders’ parliament with relevant agencies in charge of telecommunications entitled “Optimizing the benefits of Telecoms Infrastructure in Nigeria”, held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, added that “shutting of the telecommunications base stations engenders security risk”.

DAILY POST recalls that some state governments including Kogi through Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS), recently shut down telecommunications base stations of some of the telecommunications companies operating in the state due to issues bothering on levies and taxes.

But, Danbatta, who was represented by the Director of Legal and Regulatory Services of the commission, Mrs.Yetunde Akinloye, said “the habit of shutting down stations must stop”.

Danbatta stated that the state governments and other agencies should rather be interested in protecting the base stations and other telecom infrastructures”.

While urging governments to devise other means of dealing with the issues that have do with tax collection on base stations and telecoms infrastructure, Danbatta called for “transparency in the mode of collecting taxes and other revenue on the telecoms industries by the state governments”.

Director of Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement of NCC, Mr. Efosa Idehen, who said state governments can rake in more internally generated revenue (IGR) using telecoms, urged the state governments to balance the drive for IGR demand with developmental needs of the state.

He charged them not to drive away investors from their states but encourage them, while enjoining service providers and the state governments to work together and harmonize their positions.

Soldier beating people (File photo)
A yet-to-be identified soldier attached to the 144 Battalion Headquarters of Nigerian Army in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State has allegedly killed a businessman in Ugwunagbo Local Government Area of the State, The Nation has reported.
It was gathered that the soldier is one of the military personnel at the Owerre-Aba army guard post while the deceased is said to be a business owner in the area.
Sources at the Owerre-Aba told our reporter that the soldier had gone to separate a fight between the decease popularly known in the area as Harmony and a pool owner before the victim attacked him.
An eyewitness who simply gave his name as Kennedy narrating what happened said trouble started when the deceased went to a pool house in the area to demand for the payment in a game he played and won.
According to Kennedy, the owner of the pool house told Harmony that the game he played was not submitted with others because he failed to pay for them after playing them.
He said: “The owner of the pool house told him that his game was not submitted with others because he didn’t pay him after playing the game.

“As the owner of the pool house was talking aloud with him over his inability to pay for the game which prompted him to drop it as he cannot use his own money to pay for someone who promised to bring money, but never did. The next thing I heard was harsh voices and struggling sounds coming from the pool stall.
“The man (Harmony) started beating the owner of the pool and even when the wife tried to intervene and help to save her husband, the young man instead pounced on both of them.
“The beating started inside the pool house that’s why most people didn’t know what was going on or made move to intervene. It’s when the woman started shouting and they struggled with him to outside the shop that people and the soldier man who was actually going on his way saw the ugly scene and went to intervene.
“On getting there, the soldier rescued the couple from the grip of the deceased but he retaliated and pushed the soldier man and both of them fell into the gutter.
.”The soldier who had been injured by the deceased used the dagger with him and stabs the deceased in the process.
“People around made efforts to save him by carrying him to a nearby hospital, but he died before medical help could come his way.”
The spokesman for the 14 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Ohafia, Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi could not be reached for comments, but a senior officer in the command who confirmed the incident said that the victim died at the Abia State Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH).
According to the officer, the soldier who confirmed that the soldier had only gone to stop the deceased from attacking an aged woman, 20meters from the army guard post before he was attacked by the deceased, stated that the soldier is being investigated by the Military Police of 144 Battalion.

FILE PHOTO: Nigerian Soldiers
A newly-introduced social media code of ethics for members of the Nigerian military has recorded some of its earliest sanctions, PREMIUM TIMES can report. This newspaper obtained details of at least 149 personnel who were penalised for violating a section of the guidelines within the first three months after they came into force.
The affected service members, majority of whom are non-commissioned officers, were accused of uploading pictures of themselves in military fatigues on social media, an act considered offensive under the guidelines issued in June 2018.
A breakdown of the sanctions shows 33 naval officers were found wearing their uniforms in fresh social media uploads, 40 soldiers were caught in the same act while 76 members of the Nigerian Air Force were affected.
The errant naval personnel comprised 15 commissioned officers and 18 ratings. Ten of the 40 Nigerian Army personnel are commissioned officers, with captain as the most-senior rank, while the remaining 30 are soldiers. The Air Force saw 17 of its officers and 59 non-commissioned officers identified as violating the social media guidelines.
The 10-page guidelines, published by the Defence Headquarters, imposed by Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin, on June 11 sought to curb undignified use of social media by members of the armed forces, especially acts that could render them susceptible to enemies’ trap or jeopardise ongoing military operations.
“Personnel should not post their pictures or those of their colleagues in military uniforms, or pictures containing military structures, platforms and other military related items,” said one of the slew of cautions in the guidelines.
The guidelines also included a ‘Dos and Don’ts’ section, which encouraged officers to always ‘like’ postings by all institutions of the armed forces but must not use social media languages such as “LWKMD, LMAO, LOL, OMG, BRB in professional posts.”
Military personnel were also required to warn their family members against controversial conducts on social media.
“Personnel will be held liable for any security issues arising from postings in respect of them by civilian friends or relations. They are therefore, to educate their friends and relations as necessary regarding military security and what should not be posted on social media,” the guidelines said.
Officers court-martialled
Although the guidelines did not contain potential punishments for specific offences, there was a provision that said all officers would be punished as prescribed by the Armed Forces Act or the Cyber Crime Act.
The 149 officers were those caught between June 11 and September 18 by the Defence Headquarters.
It was not immediately clear how many of the 149 personnel have been disciplined for breaking the no-uniform-on-social media rule, but military spokesperson, John Agim, said he was aware arrests had been made.
“Some persons have been arrested for violating the guidelines and are currently being court-martialled,” Mr Agim, a brigadier-general said. “But only their lawyers could say the kinds of punishment involved.”
PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately identify the persons rendering legal assistance to the embattled military officers.
A senior military officer told PREMIUM TIMES some of the affected officers could be compelled to proceed on early retirement, dismissed or even sentenced to jail, depending on the context of their violations.
“The armed forces is not where you commit wrongdoing and try to bribe your way out, you will receive maximum punishment as appropriate,” the top personnel said.
‘Pushed to the wall’
The Nigerian military has been on the defensive in recent years, as many officers, including those fighting Boko Haram in the terror-ravaged North-East, are taking to social media to ventilate on issues bordering on their welfare.
The military personnel, mostly soldiers, have been reported in the media as sending out anonymous pictures of the poor food they are being fed. Some have complained about how their salaries and allowances were being depleted by commanders, allegations that often received strong rebuttal from top military brass.
One of such instances came in February when some officers who said they were engaged in the Boko Haram war alleged gross maltreatment by military authorities. The officers called on the Nigerian public and President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene in their situation or risk allowing the counter-terrorism efforts to deteriorate.
The Army swiftly responded to the anonymous complaints at the time with a call for disgruntled elements to abandon service. It also said those raising the concerns were sponsored by politicians, although no proof was provided to substantiate the claim.
Nigerian military personnel are also known to have regularly used social media to mourn the death of their fallen colleagues, even when the military had not formally notified their loved ones.
All these acts have “pushed the military to the wall”, Mr Agim said. “But it is not only in Nigeria, other countries are imposing measures to discourage their military officers from revealing too much information on social media.”
It was not immediately clear how many militaries across the world have imposed social media guidelines, but Western countries, including the United States, which Mr Agim said had such measures in place, do not appear to have prohibited uploading of pictures in military uniform on social media.
“There is no such policy,” a U.S. Air Force officer told PREMIUM TIMES Sunday, preferring not to be identified in print. “We can post pictures on social media in uniforms…except on AORs (areas of responsibility) that are considered combat and sensitive.”
“Military [officers] can post photos on social media provided nothing in the posts endangers troops, reveals locations, mission operations or troops movements,” the officer said.
India appears to have military guidelines which bear similarities with Nigeria’s, but this was imposed in 2016 after a senior military officer was enmeshed in a ‘honey trap’ scandal linked to the Pakistani intelligence agency.
The military in India forbids personnel from opening pornographic contents on social media, as well as setting pictures of themselves in uniform as their social media profile. But it did not place an outright ban on uploading pictures with uniform online.
‘No harm intended’
Mr Agim said the rules were not intended to harm the officers or over-police their social media activities, but Nigeria is facing serious security challenges which the military has been at the forefront of bringing to an end.
“It is a challenging face we are in in terms of security,” Mr Agim said. “We have the responsibility to take measures that will protect all members of the armed forces who would in turn protect the country as a whole.”
An Abuja-based lawyer, Ken Asogwa, said even though it might be difficult to hold a balanced position on the matter, the military does not seem to have done anything fundamentally wrong with its guidelines on social media conduct.

INFOGRAPH – EXCLUSIVE – 149 Nigerian soldiers in trouble for uploading photos on social media [Infograph by George Kaduna]
“The truth is that the military officers are human beings like everyone and the Constitution guarantees their fundamental rights,” Mr Asogwa told PREMIUM TIMES. “But since they have signed up to the codes of the military, they are statutorily bounded to comply by the social media guidelines.”
“If you think the military authorities are abridging your fundamental rights, you leave there and enjoy your rights elsewhere. But since you have signed up to the military code, it is not too much to expect you to comply with their rules, especially when such rules are drafted for security reasons,” he said.
Mr Asogwa said even private firms are increasingly issuing guidelines defining how their staff members should conduct themselves online, suggesting it would be unfair to single out the military because it is a public institution.


SEE FULL LIST HERE:
List of 149 soldiers being punished by Nigeran military for uploading photos on social media

LIST OF NAVY PERSONNEL IN UNIFORM ON SOCIAL MEDIA
1.CAPTAIN  ADO GAMBO  NN/1911
2. COMMANDER  AKINTOMIDE OLAMILOKUN
3. COMMANDER  MARK YAUTE ABASHI   NN/2329
4. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JIBRIL UMAR ABDULLAHI  NN/2761
5. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER  MUSTAPHA ABUBAKAR   NN/2966
6. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER ATTAI ABDULLAHI
7. SURGEON LIEUTENANT MARK ANEHE ABANUM    NN/3171
8. LIEUTENANT  AMEZHINIM AMON AGBESOR   NN/3566
9. SUB-LIEUTENANT ILYASU ABDULAZIZ   NN3173
10. SUB-LIEUTENANT MUSA ABUBAKAR   NN3178
11. SUB-LIEUTENANT CALEB ITYAVENEM ABAGYEH  NN/3287
12. SUB-LIEUTENANT OLUFEMI EBENIZER AJALA  NN/3351
13. SUB-LIEUTENANT  LUKMAN ABASS   NN/3645
14. SUB-LIEUTENANT   OKPE EMMANUEL  NN/4103
15. SUB-LIEUTENANT  OLUWATOSIN AGBELEMOSE  NN/4107
RATINGS
16. OPERATIONS SPECIALIST ALI MUSA
17. OPERATIONS SPECIALIST UMAR FAROUK
18. ABBAS AKINPELU
19. ABDULLAHI FAISAL
20. AHMED YUNUS
21. AKANNI SEGUN
22. AKINTUNDE CAMPBELL BISOLA
23. ALLOY GODWIN
24. ANCY ARAN
25. BEATRICE PETER
26. DEREK JACKSON
27. EDOH OCHEFIJE
28. EJEMBI JOSEPH
29. ESSIEN U
30. JIMANG JAMES
31. OFEM EMMANUEL PATRICK
32. REGINA NUHU
33. SIMON GABRIEL
LIST OF ARMY PERSONNEL IN UNIFORM ON SOCIAL MEDIA (OFFICERS)
1. CAPTAIN  ABUBAKAR GADA Z   NA/12442
2. CAPTAIN ABUBAKAR ABDULRAZAQ  NA/12902
3. CAPTAIN  ABDULKADIR SADIQ M  NA/14548
4. CAPTAIN ABDULLAHI NASIRU
5. LIEUTENANT ABUBAKAR USMAN   NA/11735
6. LIEUTENANT ABUBAKAR ADAMU  NA/12689
7. LIEUTENANT ABUBAKAR ABDULMUDALLABI M NA/13375
8. LIEUTENANT ABDULLAHI HASSAN   NA/15041
9. LIEUTENANT ABDULAZEEZ SALAMI 
10. OLUWASEGUN S. BADEWALE
SOLDIERS
11. LANCE CORPORAL IGWU P
12. LANCE CORPORAL MICHAEL E
13. PRIVATE OLOJEDE E
14. PRIVATE SARAH O
15. ABBA MUSA KURA
16. ABUBAKAR ADAMU
17. ABUBAKAR ABDULKADIR
18. ALABI AA
19. AMINU GARBA
20. BALA MUBARAK
21. BALOGUN RAMON
22. DAKAM BARTHOLOMEW
23. DANJUMA BABA
24. EMMANUEL OWOLABI OLUWASEGUN
25. INIOBONG FRANCE
26. JAMILU UMAR
27. JOHNKENNEDY IKECHUKWU OGUNMEROBI
28. JONATHAN IBRAHIM
29. MASUR YADUMA
30. MOHAMMED ABUBAKAR
31. MUHAMMAD ABUBAKAR
32. NASIRU ADAMU
33. OBANLA TOKUNBO CHARLES
34. OYIBO JUSTINAH
35. PETER YUNANA
36. POPO EJIRO
37. STEPHEN AYUBA
38. SUNDAY OLUMUYIWA
39. UMAR BAPETEL
40. UMAR HARUNA
LIST OF AIR FORCE PERSONNEL IN UNIFORM ON SOCIAL MEDIA
1. GROUP CAPTAIN ALIERU MUSA AJANI   NAF/2353
2. WING COMMANDER ADEBANJO ADEOSUN   NAF/2350
3. ADEYANJU SHITTU ISMAILA ADESOLA  NAF 3095
4. FLIGHT LIEUTENANT VICTOR AJEYE   NAF/3012
5. FLIGHT LIEUTENANT  A ABDULSALAM  NAF/3233
6. FLIGHT LIEUTENANT  MUHAMMAD SANI ADAM   NAF/3428
7. FLIGHT LIEUTENANT  MAHMUD AHMED BATAGARAWA  NAF/3452
8. FLYING OFFICER   ABUBAKAR SALIHU ABBE NAF/3580
9. FLYING OFFICER YAKUBU HARUNA ABDULLAHI NAF/3609
10. FLYING OFFICER HAMISU AHMED NAF 3648
11. FLYING OFFICER ALYASAU ADAMU NAF/3662
12. FLYING OFFICER  ABDULATEEF ABUBAKAR ALEGE  NAF/3784
13. FLYING OFFICER ABUBAKAR SADIQ ABDULKADIR   NAF/4006
14. FLYING OFFICER  BODE ABIODUN  NAF/4127
15. FLYING OFFICER MUJAHEED ADAMU (MUJY)  NAF/4188
16. FLYING OFFICER  MASUD ABDULLAHI  NAF/4208
17. FLYING OFFICER SHEHU ABUBAKAR  NAF/4210
AIRMEN
18. SERGEANT SAMUEL EFEMENA
19. CORPORAL BULUS ADAMS
20. CORPORAL  ALABI D
21. CORPORAL CHARLES LT
22.  JACOB J. JAMES
23. LANCE CORPORAL ALHASSAN LY
24. LANCE CORPORAL GIMBA S
25.LANCE CORPORAL AJINUNGA CP
26. LANCE CORPORAL EJAINU PT
27. LANCE CORPORAL SOHE JS
28. LANCE CORPORAL ILIYA N
29. AIR CRAFTMAN MOHAMMED A
30. AIR CRAFTMAN MUHAMMAD A
31.  AIR CRAFTMAN SALISU A
32.  AIR CRAFTMAN ALIYU MM
33.  AIR CRAFTMAN TANIMU YA
34.  AIR CRAFTMAN  IBRAHIM AG
35.  AIR CRAFTMAN  BALA Y
36.  AIR CRAFTMAN LAWAL A
37.  AIR CRAFTMAN MATTHEW AMOS
38.  AIR CRAFTMAN EMMANUEL SL
39.  AIR CRAFTMAN MUHAMMAD SDD
40.  AIR CRAFTMAN  YAKUBU DABO
41.  AIR CRAFTMAN EBRI ED
42.  AIR CRAFTMAN DAVID PG
43.  AIR CRAFTMAN JAMES
44.  AIR CRAFTMAN AUGUSTINE TIMOTHY
45.  AIR CRAFTMAN MAIYAKI A
46.  AIR CRAFTMAN BADMUS AO
47.  AIR CRAFTMAN HASSAN M
48.  AIR CRAFTMAN AHMED I
49.  AIR CRAFTMAN ISAAC EJ
50.  AIR CRAFTMAN ADAMU SA
51.  AIR CRAFTMAN ALBERT S
52.  AIR CRAFTMAN BASHIR A
53.  AIR CRAFTMAN WILLIAMS PN
54.  AIR CRAFTMAN AHMED A
55.  AIR CRAFTMAN LEMU DANIEL
56.  AIR CRAFTMAN EYAH PC
57.  AIR CRAFTMAN YOHANNA BG
58.  AIR CRAFTMAN HUSSAINI YD
59.  AIR CRAFTMAN BABA ES
60.  AIR CRAFTMAN UKPO IO
61.  AIR CRAFTMAN LOT MOSES
62. OKAFOR EMMA
63. METUSELLAR TIMOTHY
64. JOHNSON OLUGUNNA
65. OBIOMA GIDEON
66. RAUWASI SHAIABU
67. KENNETH BELLO
68. YILA WILLIAMS
69. OLAYINKA ADESOLA
70. OBED CHUKWUMBA
71. ROTIMI OLUGBENGA OJO
72. HARUNA BALA SALEH
73. STEPHEN MOSES
74. ROLAND HENS
75. MUSTAPHA SHUAIBU
76. NEHE TIMOTHY

the suspects after exhumation of the victims body in the forest
It was a sorrowful and tearful scene last weekend when a kidnap gang made shocking confessions on how they killed and buried Mrs. Catherine Okorie Chukwu, a middle-aged mother of a rich Abuja-based industrialist and indigene of Ishiagu community in Ivo Council of Ebonyi State, who was abducted at her village residence on January 18, this year.
But for the gallant efforts of men of the Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS), Ebonyi State Police Command, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other corresponding units of the Command, who never rested until they unraveled circumstances surrounding the abduction and later, murder and secret burial of the victim, her case could perhaps have remained like one of the many unresolved kidnap and murder cases in the country.
The breakthrough, according to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Jude Madu, came on the heels of a classified confessional statement made available to Police investigators by one Ogbujule Chukwu Mathew of Lokpanta, Isuochi in Ummunneochi Council of Abia State, who was arrested on February 10, this year.
According to Madu: “He made some confessionary statement, which led to the arrest of one Ezenwa Egeonu, male, of same address on February 23. “On interrogation, the said Ezenwa confessed that the victim has been killed by the gang and was buried at Lokpanta, Isuochi in Abia State. He led a team of anti-kidnapping squad of this Command to the scene where the body was buried.
“The area has been identified, that was why the Command made adequate arrangements for the exhumation of the body.”Ezenwa, it was gathered, started playing pranks with the Police after his confession and vital disclosures and became patently evasive for weeks during attempt to make him take the anti-kidnapping team where his men buried the victim.
“He took our men there and instead of showing the exact spot, he started taking the Police round that vast bush until the early morning of Sunday, when he said his time was up and he was then ready to talk. “He then took our men to the exact spot where they buried the woman,” Madu told The Guardian in an exclusive interview.
The journey to the exhumation of the already-decomposed remains of the late Mrs. Chukwu was a tortuous one. The state Police Commissioner, Titus Lamorde, who was just settling down to his new posting, made extensive efforts and preparations as soon as the facts were established and delegated the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to lead the operation.
The journey, which involved a team of not less than 50 policemen, 15 Hilux vans of various units of the Command, an ambulance, morticians, Head of Pathology Department, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, took over 10 hours.
When the search team took off from Abakaliki, with The Guardian in the convoy, it stopped over Ivo Division to pick a ready SARS team that was communicating with a team of the SAKS, who had reportedly been in the forest for the past two weeks.
It headed off to Lokpanta, which shares boundaries with Ishiagu in Ivo Council of Ebonyi State, almost directly across the road along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
After less than 10 minutes’ drive through terrains without buildings located therein, the teams landed in a village market called Eke Isuochi and picked someone that linked them up with the SAKS first team some kilometres away from the market along a major road leading to the forest. The man, in his late 30s (name withheld), claimed to be leader of an association in Lokpanta.
On sighting the heavily-armed Police team, panicky village traders at the market were gripped with apprehension.After riding through a rough road of about three kilometres, the team was successfully handed over after to a ready SARS team with the prime suspect and two others, including a woman in her mid 40s.
The vehicles later came to a stop and the team, armed, not only with guns, but also bags of water and some snacks, began the search operation. Walking through a rough and barren forest in a not-too-clearly distinctive boundary between Lokpanta in Abia State and Awgu in Enugu State, which lasted for 25 minutes, the team found itself in a carnal, called Lekpesi, a shallow river nearly separating the two neighbouring states.
A jubilant combined team of SAKS with some SARS men, who had been camped in the thick forest for about two weeks and were reportedly feeding mainly on cashew nuts, welcomed the team. With them were four suspects said to be directly or indirectly linked with the dastardly act.
Then came the moment of confession. Ezenwa spoke first upon interrogation: “That pally (pointing at one of the suspects) carry us come here, me and Pilot. We be three, Mathew (the ring leader) four and that Ampelo. We dey six in number. Na that Ampelo (from Ishiagu) say make we kill am. En say because mama (the victim) don see him face, make we kill am.
“I tell them say make them no kpai mama. The man come slap me for back. Na en the other guy (Chibuike, the gang leader) say him go shoot me. I tell dem say this thing wey dem wan do mama no dey good. Na en dem come tell me say make I comot. I come go up there go sit down (pointing to a hilly side of the shallow river).
“As I come sit down there, I come hear kpowai. I dey like this (pointing his head to the ground). Pilot come ask me whether I dey cry? I tell am say I dey cry. I tell am say this thing wey una do, before next week now, una go hear am. Na im I come carry my machine (motorcycle) go back,” the suspect confessed.
He disclosed that they had tried to escape Police search by hiding Mrs. Chukwu in Mathew’s backyard compound in Amaekwuru village, Isuochi in Lokpanta for several hours and escaped into the forest when they got information that the Police were on their trail, where the victim was later shot dead on the orders of the said Ampelo, who told the gang that he did internship in Abuja through the help of the victim’s son and she had already seen and identified his face; hence they should not spare her life or they would all be in danger.
After the exhumation of the body for autopsy, the team was later taken late in the evening to the said compound, where the kidnappers kept the victim upon her abduction from Ishiagu, said to be the gang-leader’s residence.
On arriving the village, which had been largely deserted due to the serial criminal indulgence of young people from the area, the Police were taken to the said backyard by Ezenwa, where they made frantic search for the recovery of the exhibits to no avail.
Ezenwa was heard repeatedly shouting that he would not lie to the Police and knows the exact spot where the gun and bullets were kept.Attempts to get the accurate information from the gang-leader, Chibuike, were unsuccessful, as it was gathered that he said he would rather die than disclose any vital information.
The team returned to Abakaliki late in the night with the exhumed body of the victim, which was deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital Mortuary, Abakaliki (FETHA) mortuary for autopsy.
The Police team also impounded some exhibits, such as chairs and other household items from the thoroughly ransacked premises of Chibuike (popularly called Umoru), who community sources said has been a ‘terror’ in their area and a torn in their flesh.
“We have taken the body for autopsy. The result of the autopsy will determine our next line of action. We want to find out if they killed the woman with bullet or poison or any other means, even though one of the suspects confessed at the scene that one of them shot the woman.
“After the autopsy, we shall also update the public,” Madu told The Guardian.He said the entire village was on the run to avoid giving the Police information, adding that out of the six suspects directly involved in the kidnap, three kingpins were in the Police custody.
“There are some other persons who are not among the six, but they also contributed in one way or the other to aid this crime. Though I may not give you the exact number for now, but others, such as their native doctor, is already in our net.
“One of the girlfriends of Umoru, who had helped him to escape the very first time, is also in our custody. “Investigations are ongoing and the Police is assuring the family and the public that it will get to the end of it all,” he added.
He further hinted that the suspects have not made confessions as to whether a ransom was paid, but may have killed the victim when they realised that Police tracking device was closing in on them, coupled with the confession by one of the suspects that the victim had identified one Ampelo, who did internship in the son’s firm in Abuja and who ordered that they should shoot her.
News of the victim’s killing was said to have thrown the people of Ishiagu, who had reportedly been at loggerheads with their neighbouring Lokpanta village, into a deep mourning. Lamorde has assured that the Command would do everything within its power to ensure that all suspects linked to the dastardly act are brought to book.