The Police in Delta State have absolved itself from the gruesome murder of Barristers Dafiogho Egwuono and Samuel Ekwaghanju in the lonely Oil Company Service Road at Ozoro in what is an apparent reaction to members of Delta State branch of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA’s decision to stay clear from cases of kidnapping following the suspected murder of their two colleagues.
An electronic mail forwarded to Fresh Angle by the Police High Command in Delta State, noted that the two lawyers who were defence counsel in an ongoing trial of accused persons in the case of the 2012 kidnapping of the son of Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, Secretary to Delta State Government currently subsisting at Ozoro High Court had filed motion for writ of hebeus corpus, praying the court for the production of two other suspects namely Ogaga Enueme and Efe Edhike arrested in February 2014.
The Police Statement which was purportedly issued by the Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Ikechukwu Aduba claimed that on the day (March 27, 2014) the two lawyers were murdered, the police escort team conveying “the 2 self confessed suspected kidnappers/armed robbers” to Ozoro for arraignment along Ogwashi-Uku/Kwale Road at Edo- Ogwashi axis ran into an ambush allegedly laid by gang members of the arrested suspects.
According to the police, its escort team put up a good defence during which the two suspects in a headed gun duel suffered fatal gunshots, while one member of the police escort team also suffered serious bullet wounds and is currently hospitalized.
The statement also claimed that it was later on the same day at about 14:55 hours after its men were ambushed at about 8:30am that information reached its personnel attached to Ozoro Divisional Police Headquarters that a Lexus Jeep with Reg. No. EFR234Vf and 2 corpses lying on the ground closed to the Jeep facing each other were seen at Oil Well 4 near Onwhe flow Station, Ozoro.
According to the police, the two corpses were identified by their “distinct dressing as lawyers and removed to Bromic Hospital, Ozoro for autopsy”.
The police statement which stressed the resolve of the Command not to get involve in extra judicial killings did not however made any declaration as to what may have led to the murder of the two lawyers on the same day its escort team was earlier ambushed.
The police report which linked the two lawyers’ clients (suspected kidnappers/armed robbers) to several cases of kidnapping/gang raping of aged persons, including the kidnap of the son of Delta State SSG, also claimed the March 2013 attack of prison personnel on escort duties from Warri Prisons to a court during which a prison officer was killed and three suspects freed was carried out by the slain lawyers’ clients.
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