Police To Arraign DPO For Involvement In Serious Crimes Including Murder

                       

Police to Arraign DPO for Complicity in Kidnapping, Murder, Illegal Possession of Arms

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested and detained the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Omoku divisional police headquarters of the Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Casimir Ihiezu, for complicity in the kidnapping of an Ivorian national, Mr. Beinvenu Assemian, during which a police corporal, Mr. Imeh Edet, was killed.

Ihiezu is also being detained for alleged unlawful possession of firearms and murder of the police constable.

According to police investigation reports obtained by THISDAY, the Ivorian national worked for a palm oil company in Port Harcourt,  in the state  SIAT Palm plantation.

The DPO who was arrested since last year on the order of the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris Ezike, was moved to Abuja on the order of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) at the Force Headquarters Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID) Area 10 in Abuja, preparatory for his arraignment in court.

He is being detained at the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID) Area 3 Abuja since he was moved.

The DPO, who is a Superintendent of Police (SP), was in charge of Omoku divisional police HQ before his arrest for a series of offences.

A police report that indicted the DPO revealed that there was a kidnapping case on June 26, 2015, at SIAT Palm plantation, Ubima, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of  the state during which an Ivorian expatriate with the company, Assemian, was forcefully kidnapped by gunmen.

The report titled: ‘Police Interim Investigation Report in a Case of Kidnapping, Murder and Armed Robbery CR NO 953/2015’, was dated September 21, 2015, and signed by ACP Anthony Ekong.

The police corporal Edet, attached to Special Protection Unit who was attached to the expatriate was shot dead by the kidnappers while  his smoke gun was reportedly taken away by the kidnappers.

The police report indicated that a security manager with the palm plantation, one Mr. Ahmed Rabiu, wrote a petition against the detained DPO following the discovery that the kidnappers used the cell phone of the late police corporal to interface with the DPO and the victim’s company several times to demand ransom.

The embattled DPO was also alleged to have used his cell phone to send text messages to the phone used by the kidnappers during their demand ransom.

Following the arrest of the DPO on the strength of the petition, a search was conducted at his Orazi home in Port Harcourt by a team of special detectives during which several incriminating items were found.

Among the items found in  his house were 44 bank deposit slips for various bank transactions, eight sheets of papers detailing several bank transactions, one DSP identity card for himself, one UBA cheque book, one First Bank of Nigeria withdrawal slip book, one Nokia phone, one pepper spray equipment built in the shape of a pistol, and one demobilizer built in the shape of a pistol.

The detectives were led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Isah Mohammed, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Basil Opurum and Inspectors Joseph Okpamen Ahmed Rabiu, Emmanuel Abba, Emmanuel Bulus and Salihu Peter Ruyai, who were all present during the search.

The police report also indicated that the search was extended to the DPO’s office at Omoku, during which another incriminating item, one locally made single barrel short gun, was found by the operatives at the back of his office chair in his own presence.

Also found were one Mubarak smoke pistol, one shocking device, one locally made single barrel short gun, police shirt with kits, a police identity card bearing DSP Casimir Ihiezu, two small self defence sprays, several bank documents, one Samsung and one Nokia handsets.

During the forensic analysis of the cell phones with number 0803-7241885 traced to the embattled DPO, it was discovered to have received calls from a phone number 0909-7123987, being the phone of the slain Corporal Edet that was used by the suspected kidnappers to negotiate the release of the kidnapped expatriate and the ransom.

The report asked the DIG to cause the demand for the bank account details of the DPO on the grounds that the report by the service provider indicated that the embattled DPO allegedly made some calls to the alleged kidnappers shortly after a ransom of N25 million was paid to the kidnappers to secure the release of the expatriate.

At the time of this report, the DPO was still being detained at the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Area 3 Abuja.

nairland