The Delta State Police Command’s Joint Security Outfit, Operation Delta Hawk, has arrested eight suspected armed robbers in connection with the alleged murder of a policeman, DSP Sunday Okoebor.

The deceased, until his death, was attached to the Command’s X-Squad.

He was shot dead in his apartment by suspected armed robbers on Tuesday at about 0330 hours.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed this in a statement.

“For the avoidance of doubt and to put the record straight, the Command wishes to state that, on 28/11/2023 at about 0330 hours, one DSP Sunday Okoebor attached to the Command X-Squad was shot dead at his apartment,” he said.

“The late officer was shot dead by suspected armed robbers who broke into his apartment in the guise of being EFCC operatives and on noticing he was a police officer, he was shot in the head.”

Edafe noted that the suspects have confessed to the murder.

He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass, has commiserated with the family of the late officer and assured them of justice.

He also debunked rumours of a misleading viral WhatsApp post making the rounds that he (PPRO) was shot dead in his apartment.

“The command wishes to debunk this false news in totality and advises members of the public to completely disregard it.

“Members of the public are advised to desist from spreading false news and urged to reach out to the command for clarification before going to the media,” he added.

Forty-three criminal suspects, ranging from culpable homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery, stealing, ‘one chance,’ illegal possession of firearms, and cultism, to carjacking, have been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.

They were on Tuesday paraded by the police, 11 of whom were arrested over alleged involvement in ‘one chance’.

Haruna Garba, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, while speaking to newsmen explained that, “a total of 30 rounds of ammunition, five firearms, and three stolen vehicles, were recovered by the police.”

Garba stated that on October 29, police operatives from Kabusa Division, acting on actionable intelligence, arrested one Obichukwu Elijah and Johnson Samuel who stole and conspired to sell a Toyota Sienna with Registration No. EPE 397 DP, property of one Friday Ogelenya.

He added that the suspects were apprehended while trying to sell off the said vehicle at the Gudu mechanic area of Apo.

Suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime and will be charged in court at the conclusion of the investigation.

According to him, on October 24, a report was made by one Faith James at the Trademore Division, that she boarded a green Peugeot vehicle with Reg. No. CK 202 GWA from ACO Estate junction heading to Trademore, but was robbed of her belongings, which included a cash sum of N110,000 by a purported commercial vehicle driver and her colleagues who pretended to be genuine passengers.

He stressed that the police operatives from the division swung into action, trailed and arrested one Osai Donatus with the same vehicle in the process of committing the same act on another innocent passenger, saying that the suspect confessed to his involvement in the crime and is assisting the police to apprehend his other gang members at large.

The CP further revealed that operatives from the Asokoro Division on 30th October, while on routine patrol along the DSS Quarters, Asokoro observed a Vento Volkswagen car with Reg. No. APP 307 GS, blue in colour moving in a suspicious manner.

He explained that the police operatives intercepted the vehicle opposite Niger Barracks and arrested a five-man gang, AKA “Open and Close” namely; Lekan Adebayo (gang leader), Abraham Umukoro, Joseph Asobei, Blessing Gabriel (female) and Joy Livinus (female).

Garba added that during interrogation, suspects confessed to being a one-chance syndicate who specialised in carefully identifying, and picking up their victims, taking them to an isolated area, to rob them of their valuables, and drop them off at isolated locations, pointing out that while searching the vehicle, police operatives discovered four bundles of wrapped paper cut to money size, four car keys and other valuables.

He added that there was a report from one Bright Ezekiel on 27th November, that she and her friend one Rose Augustine boarded a vehicle from Mogadishu Cantonment to Kubwa and were taken to an unknown destination where the sum of N482,000.00 and N387,500.00 respectively were transferred from their account by suspected one chance robbers.

On receipt of the report, he said police operatives from Asokoro Division swung into action and with the help of the Nigeria Army Intelligence Unit, five suspects namely: Ogbonna Nwovu, Ndugo Ikechukwu, Amaechi Emezi, Felicia Udoh and Adekunle Tayo were arrested, stressing that their operational vehicle, V/wagen Wagon taxi, with Reg. No. AA 958 RYM blue in colour was recovered.

The Federal Capital Territory FCT Police Command says its operatives have arrested one Abraham Aliyu for allegedly killing his employer, Mrs. Dzuma Jidayi.

The Commissioner of Police, CP. HARUNA G. GARBA, while parading about 43 suspects at the command headquarters on Tuesday, noted that the suspect, who had been on the run, committed the heinous crime on October 10 in the Garki area of the territory.

According to the CP, a preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was working in a water factory belonging to the deceased.

The CP explained that the suspect, “in the course of his duties caused damage to the water pipe. Hence the deceased seized his salary to effect repairs of the damaged pipe.

“This development angered the suspect, and he hit the deceased woman on the head with an iron rod, which resulted in her death.

“The suspect, sensing that her madam had died, stole her handset, a bag containing her ATM cards and some cash and ran away from the scene.

“The long arm of the law caught up with him and he was arrested a few weeks after committing the act. He has since confessed to the crime and will be arraigned in court.