The police
have arrested six persons for allegedly aiding the escape of six suspects from
police custody in Division ‘A’ Lokoja, Kogi State, on Wednesday, last week.
Those arrested include John
Beneche, 22, Seye Atowoju, 27, Danjuma Yunusa, 35, Egga Ochai, 50, Abbas
Haruna, 30, and Gloria Audu, 28, sister to Emmanuel, one of the re-arrested
prime suspects in the Senator Dino Melaye’s arms case.
The force, in a statement on
Tuesday in Abuja by its spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, explained that the six
suspects played criminal roles in the escape of Kabiru Seidu (a.k.a. Osama),
Nuhu Salisu (a.k.a. Small), Aliyu Isa, Adams Suleiman, Emmanuel Audu and Musa
Mohammed.
Their escape led to the removal of
the state Commissioner of Police, Ali Janga, who was replaced by Sunday Ogbu.
Thirteen other police officers are also being detained over the incident and
are facing disciplinary action.
Seidu and Salisu had alleged that
Melaye, representing the Kogi West senatorial district in the National
Assembly, gave them guns and some money to disrupt the 2019 general
elections.
The police said the six principal
suspects and the accomplices that aided their escape were re-arrested in
different locations and had been transferred to a detention centre in Abuja
last Saturday.
The statement explained that
Beneche took four of the fugitives to a hideout at Ganaja village, Lokoja,
adding that Atowoju was arrested in the process of relocating Seidu, Salisu,
Mohammed and Audu to another location to escape police re-arrest.
The police further stated that
Yunusa accompanied the gang leader, Seidu, to the house of one Egga Ochai by
Waterside, Lokoja.
“Ochai harboured Seidu in his
house for two days and thereafter went to the village of the principal suspect
in the Dekina Local Government Area and brought one Abbas Haruna (his Mallam)
to Lokoja.
“Haruna orchestrated his movement
from Lokoja to his hometown in the Tafa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi
State where both of them were arrested,” the statement said.
It added that the only female
suspect, Gloria, was nabbed for harbouring Emmanuel, her brother, for some days
to enable him to escape arrest.
“All suspects will be arraigned in
court for prosecution on completion of investigation,” the police stated.
Punch
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