The Police Command in Rivers State has confirmed the arrest of seven suspects allegedly involved in the killing of Bright Owhor, a lawyer based in Port Harcourt.
Mr Owhor, 46, was shot dead by gunmen on 6 July at his residence on Market Road in the Rumuomasi area of Port Harcourt.
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Grace Iringe-Koko, the police spokesperson in Rivers, told reporters in Port Harcourt on Monday that the arrests followed an intelligence-driven operation.
She stated that following the incident, operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit were deployed to investigate and ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice.
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“Following meticulous intelligence work and technical surveillance that lasted over ten days, all individuals involved in the killing of Owhor were identified and apprehended,” she said.
Ms Iringe-Koko, a superintendent of police, revealed that preliminary investigations showed the suspects, aged between 22 and 34, had assumed various roles in executing the crime.
“The suspects’ roles ranged from: the shooter, gang leader, arms supplier, armed operative, handler of stolen vehicles, and driver of the getaway vehicle.
“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to being members of the Deygbam Secret Cult group and admitted their involvement in the murder.
“The suspects also confessed to withdrawing funds from Owhor’s bank account and referenced recent cult-related violence between the BS and G12 Deygbam factions in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt,” she added.
The police spokesperson confirmed the recovery of arms and ammunition from the suspects, including four locally made pistols, seven rounds of 9mm ammunition, and two live cartridges.
Others include a minibus, a Toyota Camry saloon car, and an MTN SIM card.
Ms Iringe-Koko stated that the successful operation reflects a broader strategy to dismantle criminal networks and restore public confidence in law enforcement across the state.
There has been an increase in cult-related violence and killings in the oil-rich Rivers State.
In January, suspected cultists killed a vigilante member, Precious Nnamdi, who was providing security in Ahoada Town, Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state.
A witness said the assailants trailed the victim before killing him.
“The cultists shot Nnamdi while he was patrolling along Hospital Road in Ahoada Town. They fired multiple shots, but the bullets reportedly did not penetrate him,” he said.
The witness said that after the gunfire failed, the gang resorted to using iron bars and sticks found nearby to attack the vigilante.
“The hoodlums struck Nnamdi repeatedly until he succumbed to the injuries, and thereafter, they fled the scene,” he recounted.
In April last year, Sunday Baba, a police inspector, was shot dead by gunmen at his duty post in Rivers.
PREMIUM TIMES in 2021 reported how seven operatives were killed in the state by gunmen at two different police facilities – three were killed in Elimgbu police station, while two were murdered at the divisional police headquarters in Rumuji.
Two operatives were killed in an attack on a security checkpoint along the East-West Road, this newspaper had reported.
Gunmen in August 2023 shot dead a police inspector in front of a hotel in the D/Line axis of the state capital, Port Harcourt, and carted away his rifle.
READ ALSO: Police arrest two suspected cultists, recover ammunition
Punch newspaper reported that the assailants rode in a Toyota Corolla at speed and stopped in front of the hotel, shot the operative and zoomed off immediately.
Also in August 2023, Bako Angbashim, a superintendent of police and divisional police officer in charge of Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state, was beheaded by gunmen.
Suspected members of the Iceland cult group in Odemude, a community in the local government area, killed the slain officer. The attackers ambushed the officer, who, along with his colleagues, was planning a raid on some criminal hideouts in the area, PREMIUM TIMES reported.
The leader of the cult group, Gift Okpara, otherwise known as 2Baba, was later killed by the police about five months after he led the gang that murdered the police chief.
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