AS investigation progresses into the recent murder of four students of the University of Port Harcourt, the police have identified five principal suspects who were deeply involved in the dastardly act.
Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, who disclosed this on Monday while briefing newsmen on the update of the investigation into the case, said that the suspects were identified through the video recording of the incident.
He gave their names as Alhaji Hassan Welewa, the traditional ruler of Omukiri community, Aluu, where the heinous incident took place and 18 others, some of who are members of the vigilance group of the community.
According to him, intelligence report implicated Alhaji Welewa as being the person who incited the mob to unleash terror on the victims while further investigation conducted by the police indicated the other four suspects, namely Felemo Solomon, Cynthia Chinwo, Ozioma Abajuo and Chigozie Samuel Evans have been closely linked to this barbaric act.
The murdered students are Ugunna Obuzor, aged 18 years, 200 Level Geology student; Lloyd Toku, aged 19 years, 200 Level Civil Engineering student; Tekena Elkanah, aged 20 years, a Diploma Technical student and Chiadika Odinga, aged 20 years, 200 Level Theatre Arts student.
He said that so far, 21 suspects who were identified in the video clips as either involved in the killings or were there watching the incident have been arrested.
Also, one Segun Lawal, aged 28, was identified in the killings while the police are on the trail of one Coxson Lelebori Lucky, alias Bright, who raised the false alarm that the boys were thieves. He has since gone underground.
He was the one the students allegedly went to, to demand for certain payment before he raised the false alarm that attracted the vigilance people who took the boys to the traditional ruler’s palace who gave them the go-ahead to lynch the boys.
The police spokesman, while narrating the incident, said that on October 5, 2012, at about 7.00 a.m. based on a distress call that some armed robbers were arrested at Omukiri-Aluu area in Ikwerre Local Government Area, a patrol team of four policemen from Isiokpo Divisional Police Headquarters was dispatched to the area, a distance of about 10 kilometres.
According to him, on getting to the scene, the police saw a mob attacking four victims who were supposedly the suspected armed robbers but all attempts made by the police patrol team to take over the suspects were met with stiff opposition from the mob who chased the team with stones.
Consequently, he added that the patrol team called for reinforcements, but unfortunately, upon the arrival of the reinforcements, the alleged armed robbery suspects had been stoned and burnt to death, while the mob immediately took to their heels.
The corpses were recovered by the police who by then had been joined by members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the victims were later identified to be students of University of Port Harcourt.
He said that findings had revealed that the victims had gone to the area where they met their unfortunate death earlier that morning to demand for money allegedly owed them by Coxson Lelebori Lucky, alias ‘Bright’, who raised the false alarm that the victims were armed robbers. Although, Coxson has gone underground, detectives are on his trail.
CSP Mba disclosed that investigation was ongoing with efforts being intensified to track down others involved in the incident while those who found culpable would be prosecuted.
Also, he said that massive deployment of policemen had been made to the area, including detectives to assist the state police command and normalcy had been restored in the area, while the situation in the area, especially in the university and other tertiary institutions, was being closely monitored with a view to forestalling any untoward reaction.
He said that efforts were being intensified to establish the motive(s) behind this crime, arrest all who might be directly or indirectly connected with the crime and eventually bring all indicted persons to book.
The Force spokesman appealed to Nigerians to see the fight against crime and criminality as their civic obligation and to assist security agencies in the discharge of their responsibility.
Security, he said, was everybody’s responsibility and so should not be left in the hands of security agencies alone and that only maximum cooperation of the public was needed to ensure that Nigeria is safe for all.
“Furthermore, Nigerians are reminded to avoid taking laws into their hands, as two wrongs can never make a right, more so, it is criminal and against the laws of the land and those that do so will surely be made to face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
In addition, he said that the IGP, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, had appealed to citizens who might have information on this and other ongoing police investigations not to hesitate in turning over such information to the Nigerian Police.
“May I assure Nigerians that the police force will do everything legitimate, within its capacity, to ensure that perpetrators of these dastardly acts at Aluu in Rivers State are identified and made to face the law,” Mba said
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