Dr. Chudi Nwike.
Three suspects who were paraded in Lagos Tuesday, have revealed the reasons why they murdered a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chudi Nwike.
The suspects had kidnapped the politician and killed him days later after they had demanded and collected a ransom of N5million.
The Lagos State Commissioner of police, Umar Manko, paraded the suspects who were identified as Godspower Ovwigho, Monday Odieto and Stanley Efetobor at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja.
The police also paraded three other suspected assassins operating in the South-south and South-east axis of the country who were arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) led by Mr. Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police (SP).
Manko said the kidnappers were arrested by Kyari in Ikorodu and in Benin City, Edo State following the previous arrest of one of their gang members by the Ikoyi Divisional Police Officer, Aisha Haruna, a Superintendent of Police (SP) for their involvement in the kidnap of the wife of a sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice Rhodes Vivour.
According to Manko, the suspects had during interrogation confessed to be members of the gang that carried out the rescue operation of their former gang leader, one Rufus at Okere Road, Warri in Delta State, when the officers of Nigeria Prison Service were taking him to court from the prison March last year.
Based on the confessions, Manko said he directed Kyari to carry out detailed investigation into the matter and after the long manhunt; Godspower and Efetobore were tracked and arrested at Ikorodu after they were identified by Odieto to be top ranking members of the gang.
One of the suspects, 27-year-old Ovwigho, who admitted to have killed Nwike, said it was because of the deceased’s wife’s “foolishness” in paying them N25million short of the N30million they demanded for as ransom.
He said: “We killed the deputy governor because his wife became so difficult. After they paid N5million, she refused to pay up the balance, so Rufus (their deceased leader) shot him dead.
“He then sent message to the deceased’s wife to use the money to organise her husband’s burial after she said that was all they were able to gather,” he said.
Meanwhile, Manko said the three suspected assassins who were identified as Ibrahim Lawal, Emmanuel Adewale and Yomi Olanrewaju, were arrested following a tip off that some hired assassins sent from Ibadan were at Pekkas Night Club, Allen Avenue for their operation.
He said Kyari led some SARS operatives with two-decoy team to the nightclub and arrested the suspects.
The trio said they were contracted by one Adebayo Rekoya (aka Bobby Ibadan) residing at Iyaganku area of Ibadan to assassinate one Ade Victor who resides in GRA, Ogudu in Lagos.
They said, “From Ibadan we came to Lagos to kidnap Ade Victor after Bobby paid us N140, 000 mobilisation fee because he told us that Ade was sleeping with his wife.
“He also gave us the photograph of the victim but we were apprehended at Pekkas Night Club in Lagos by the police,” he said.
