By: Emmanuel Abi Couson
The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Edafe Bright, has confirmed the arrest of suspects involved in allegedly extra- judicial killings of Mr Daniel Chukwuemeka Ogbosain by indigenes of Okpokunou community in Burutu local government area, Delta State.
According to him the suspects are with the police in Asaba and that “the arrest was made to help the police carry out a thorough investigation into the matter. The police would bring to book anybody involved in the extrajudicial murder”.
The Department of State Security, DSS, on Thursday 18, arrested some suspects and handed them over to the police command in Asaba, the state capital, following several futile attempts made by the DPO and his officers.
A source who craved anonymity for fear of being attacked in the community said the late Ogbosain was accused of stealing on May 2, 2023, in the community, and the community chairman, Mr Tokekeme Emgbouke, ordered his arrest and beating by mobs which resulted to his death.
On confirmation of his death dead, the community, led by the chairman, deposited the corpse in Bomadi General Hospital morgue and days after, the same community chairman ordered the removal of the corpse from the mortuary and was given a shallow burial.
In other to cover up their destardly act the corpse was exhumed and thrown into the river for sea creatures to feast on.
Not happy with what happened, the family of the deceased sent a petition to the State Commissioner of Police, which was copied to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, in Abuja, signed by the Ogbosain family lawyer on behalf of the Ogbosain family and family leaders of the Obotebe community, all in Burutu local government area, to arrest and prosecute the culprits behind the dastardly act for justice to prevail.
The DPO and his men went to Okpokunou community to make an arrest, but the suspects overpowered them, humiliated them, and assaulted the DPO by disarming the police, forcing all the policemen to sit on the floor of the community hall with a warning to refrain from the matter or risk being killed.
Police Division this month then sought assistance from the Joint Task Force, JTF, Bomadi Division, located some few kilometres away from Okpokunou, who swung into action and arrested the community chairman, Mr. Tokekeme Emgbouke, who was trying to flee the community and he was handed over to the police .
Following the arrest of the community chairman, some of his family members attacked family members of the deceased by assaulting them, resulting in the destruction of their houses and other property worth over N200 million over the arrest of their brother.
Knowing fully well that the culprits had earlier overpowered the police division in the area, family members of the deceased contacted men of the DSS, who aided the police in arresting some of the suspects on Thursday 18 January and were transferred to Asaba, the state capital.
