The commissioner,
who paraded an additional 26 suspects for various offenses includingrobbery,
murder and other crimes, identified the dismissed officers as Sgt. Christopher
Onyegho (Ex-F/No.375631), Sgt. Nwakem Ebonzim (Ex-F/No.413318) and Sgt. Michael
Chima (Ex-F/No.441254), saying their dismissal was done in line with the extant
rules of the force.
Mr. Ibrahim,
who said the dismissed officers would soon be arraigned in court for
prosecution as their civilian accomplices were already facing trial in court,
explained that the suspects allegedly robbed a 33-liter load petroleum tanker
in Agbor, Ika North local government area of the state, arrested and handcuffed
the driver and his assistant and threw them into the bush.
They
consequently took the stolen product to a filling station where it was sold in
its usual manner.
“The three
police officers have undergone department disciplinary measures. The department
proceeding was completed before they were dismissed from service. What is left
now is for us to charge them (ex-officers and civilian accomplices) to court;
we are going to do that on Monday, August 14, 2017.
“The three
ex-policemen and the two civilians who are already at Ogwashi-Uku Prison will
be arraigned in court for prosecution," Mr. Ibrahim said.
One of the
dismissed officers, Nwakem Ebonzim, told SaharaReporters in an interview that
he received N500,000 for robbing the oil tanker and expressed regret over the
act, saying he is a father of three and has served the force for 16 years.
“I am
ashamed of myself now. I never knew what pushed me into it,” Mr. Ebonzim said.
Among the 26
suspects paraded were five suspects who shot dead the legal adviser of the All
Progressive Congress (APC) in Oshimili North local government area of Delta
State, Festus Ashiedu, a lawyer, last month in Okpanam community.
The police
commissioner said an investigation found that the legal adviser was not
assassinated, as earlier speculated in some quarters.
“The killing
was outright murder. The gang had attempted to rob Globe Supermarket before
bumping into the late Ashiedu, whom they shot in order to use his car to
escape," he said.
“Through
prompt and discreet investigation by detectives, the killers of the lawyer have
been nabbed and are undergoing investigation. From the confession of one of the
robbery suspects, Obed Ikenna Oluchi, the late lawyer was killed by his group
and not by hired assassins as speculated by some sections of the media,” Mr.
Ibrahim said.
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