Posted by By MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja on
Suspected assassins who attempted to snuff life out of celebrated world Heavyweight Boxing Champion, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Samuel Peters, have been arrested by the police.
Suspected assassins who attempted to snuff life out of celebrated world Heavyweight Boxing Champion, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Samuel Peters, have been arrested by the police.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mike Okiro, who paraded those allegedly suspected to be behind the foiled assassination bid told newsmen that the attempt took place on December 15, at Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
According to the police boss, 'Peters had a minor domestic squabble with his wife, Enobong Samuel Peters, who invited his brother and an uncle, who rather than settle the misunderstanding, attempted to kill the World Heavy Weight Boxing Champion." He added that two suspects, Godwin Edet Etim (Peters' in-law) and Anthony Afia (the wife's uncle) had arrived at the hotel and 'following an altercation between them and Samuel Peters, Godwin Edet Etim, went for a pump action short gun, concealed in their SUV vehicle with registration number AE 309 DVV, corked and was about to shoot DSP Samuel Okon Peters but was prevented from doing so by Force Number 326896, Corporal Uzoma Promise and the three policemen on duty at the hotel."
The accused suspects, however, denied plotting to kill their in-law, insisting that 'it was when Peters charged on us like a bull, knowing he is a trained boxer that we rushed to fetch the gun, but we did not intend to kill him."
Okiro, who immediately promoted Corporal Uzoma, who foiled the assassination attempt to the next rank of Sergeant, said the suspects would be arraigned in court soon and advised people to refrain from taking the laws into their own hands.
'He could have been killed by now but for the gallantry of the police corporal, who decided to put his life in danger. If Samuel Peters had been killed, it would have been an international tragedy as it would have gone round the whole world that he was killed in his own country," the IGP stressed.
The IGP also paraded Messrs Mathias Ezea and Joseph Nev, who were accused of selling over 10,000 police uniforms.
Describing the action as illegal, the police boss displayed assorted police booths and uniforms allegedly recovered from the suspects.
The suspects denied the allegation, saying they had been selling locally made shoes fashioned after police booth to retired and serving Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs), and other ranks since over five years, wondering why they had just decided to describe their actions as criminal.
They also denied selling or being in possession of police uniforms, saying they have been in detention for over three weeks, saying all attempts they made to produce the records of their sales to buttress their claims were refused by the police.
The IGP displayed 49 pairs of assorted police booths, 40 block caps, 12 Mobile beret caps (green), 6 Provost beret caps, 23 Police belts, 2 batons, a torch, one pistol upholster, three NPF Crests, and one Nokia handset allegedly recovered from the suspects.
He said an alleged principal suspect named as Sergeant Joseph Udenze, whom the suspects said is a personnel at Police College Ikeja, is yet to be found as there was no such name in the college.
Apart from these suspects, the IGP also paraded Messrs Ogbonnaya Igwe, Taiwo Eyiaro, Sidi Ehimosan, Segun Kadiri and Kamoru Yusuf for allegedly being in possession of over 200 large cartons of assorted explosives.
Okiro recalled that such explosives had been used in recent times by criminals to cause mayhem in parts of the country, as he explained that the suspects were arrested in a wooden canoe along Ojo-Badagry creek in Lagos.
He said the suspects were conveying the 'Match Cracker-Banger Pyrotechnic" in five canoes when they were arrested by Marine Police Patrol Team acting on a tip-off.
'The suspects claimed the explosives belonged to one man whom they simply gave his pseudonym as ‘202' from Ogbuotu village in Badagry, but we are yet to see such a person, if at all he exists," he explained.
While appealing to members of the public to always make useful information available to the police, Okiro said the arrests would not have been possible with out public cooperation.