Posted by By Ngozi Uwujare, Ibadan on
The Akwa Ibom State police command has arrested some men suspected to be assassins, robbers and dealers in illegal arms. One of the suspects, Edikan Ekuk, was alleged to have been behind the assassination of the Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Ikono, Mr. Benjamin Udoh.
The Akwa Ibom State police command has arrested some men suspected to be assassins, robbers and dealers in illegal arms.
One of the suspects, Edikan Ekuk, was alleged to have been behind the assassination of the Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Ikono, Mr. Benjamin Udoh.
Ekuk, however, told Daily Sun how he and members of his gang once set out to Ikot Ekpeyak village to assassinate one Mercy Thompson, a member of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star.
He also narrated how they made an attempt on the life of the former Chairman of Ini Local Government Area, Emmanuel Ebe, who was lucky to sustain only leg injuries during the attack.
"My job is to assassinate politicians, they bought the arms and ammunition for us. I have assassinated over 10 persons in Akwa Ibom," he confessed.
The native of Ikot Inyene in Uyo, disclosed that his gang had 10 members.
He also narrated how his gang was involved in bank robberies, murder and other crimes in Uyo, adding that they were arrested by the police and two guns and ammunition recovered from them.
The state police commissioner, Mr. Mike Zuokumor, who paraded the suspects, explained that the command also arrested 30 suspects, who were allegedly involved in murder, armed robbery, theft and unlawful possession of arms and ammunition.
He explained that five of the suspects had attempted to rob the driver of a 911 lorry and his passengers of money running into millions of naira at gunpoint. The incident occurred along Ukanafun/Ekparakwa road.
He said four of the bandits were arrested and N87,000 and locally made pistol recovered from them.
He gave the names of the suspects as Kufre Friday, Umakiso Ekim, Nsikak Akpan and Sunday Okoni. Three others were said to be at large.
Also in the police net were three robbery suspects who were nabbed in their hide-out at Afaha Oku village in Uyo. Two members of the gang died during a shoot-out with the police. A Nokia handset, valued at N35,000 and of N28,000 were recovered from one of the arrested suspects, Martins Ekpenyong.
The CP gave names of other notorious robbery suspects now in the police net as Abasiama Bernard, Idoegin Emmanuel, Akpan, Enefiok Udo and Asuquo Etim.
Zuokumor also told Daily Sun how his men stormed a hide-out at Ikot Ekpene road, Uyo and met members of a robbery gang sharing their loot. One of the suspects confessed how they broke into a supermarket located on Ikot Ekpene road, belonging to one Mrs. Uju Mnonago and stole N1.7 million.