The Delta State Police Command says it has made headway in the manhunt for the killers of the anti-cult commander in the state, Amb Austyne Emuamaka, four months ago by unknown gunmen during his visit to Kwale.
Until he was shot dead on Saturday night of December 5, 2021, the late Emuamaka was the President of the Anti-cult Volunteers Corps in Delta state.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Command’s Acting Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Edafe Bright, said the command has been on the constant trail of those suspected to have murdered the anti-cult commander adding that, “On the 28/3/2021 at about 1730hrs, detectives from Kwale acting on intelligence arrested one Odili Opochi ‘m’ alleged to have been among those who murdered the said Austin Emu president of Anti-Cult Delta State”.
The suspect according to the statement has confessed and gave useful information on his involvement while a manhunt for other members of the gang is ongoing.
The Command in the statement said on 27/3/2021, its men led by the Divisional Police Officers, DPOs of Abraka and Umutu, engaged in a gun duel with some suspected killer herders in a joint operation at the government Reserved land, Obiaruku, where the killer herders are believed to be hiding.
The operation according to the statement was sequel to the protest staged by farmers of Abraka and Umutu over herders killings and destruction of their farmlands and crops.
During the gun duel, the police teams were able to repel some of the hoodlums who escaped with gunshot injuries and four arrested.
The statement gave the names of the four arrested kidnap suspects as, lucky Eduvire age ‘m’ 31yrs, freedom Uguru ‘m’ age 33yrs, Enita Omogware ‘m’ age 38yrs and Henry Blessing Ovie age 25yrs.
Three motorcycles were recovered from them while the manhunt for the fleeing suspects is ongoing.
Other successes recorded by the Command as contained in the statement read below:
On the 27/3/2021 at about 0815hrs, rapid response squad operatives after series of intelligence gathering, and cultivation of informant, which has been helpful in policing Delta state, raided a hideout behind Ibori Golf Asaba and arrested suspects who deal in illicit drugs. The suspects are Sunday Nwankwo ‘m’ 22yrs and Endurance Okwute ‘m’ 19yrs, all behind Ibori Golf Asaba. A search warrant was executed in their houses, some quantity of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp and other substances suspected to be cocaine and other illicit drugs were recovered. Investigation is ongoing.
On the 28/3/2021 at about 2300hrs, The Divisional Police officer ‘A’ Division Warri, CSP T.Y Mahmud mobilized Police operatives and raided a black spot at Panapina by NPA Warri where one Henry Sekodi ‘m’ age 35yrs aka Ayama from Gbekebor community Burutu LGA was arrested. The suspect who confessed to be a member of Hartlust Confraternity also confessed his activities of collecting ransom from people sometime in 2018, other cult members mentioned include one Terry Alfred, Kewie surname unknown, Moses Kaide who is the leader of Hartlust Confraternity. Effort is being intensified with a view to arresting other members of the gang.
On the 27/3/2021 at about 0020hrs, one Gabriel Mayuku ‘m’ of No. 11 Adawurere Street Off New Road Sapele came to station and reported that on the 26/3/2021 at about 1804hrs, one of his brothers Daniel Mayuku age 45yrs while on transit from Oghara to Mosogar along Benin/Warri expressway where one Mercedez Benz with Reg. No. GRA 757 XA failed brake and hit a lorry with a Reg. No. SMK 299 YC which was directly behind his brother’s tricycle and the lorry in turn hit his brother’s tricycle from behind and the rider of the tricycle died on the spot while the drivers of the two Lorries took to their heels abandoning their trucks. A team of traffic personnel were mobilized to scene of the accident where Photographs of the corps was taken and the accident vehicles have been removed to the station while the corps has been taken to Oghara General Hospital mortuary for autopsy. Effort to arrest the fleeing suspects is ongoing.
