The Rivers State police command has reported the recovery of human remains from Felix Nwaobakata, the leader of the ONELGA Security Planning and Advisory Committee (OSPAC), who is currently in custody.
Speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the command’s spokesperson, Sp Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed that Nwaobakata was arrested on June 17 due to his suspected involvement in criminal activities.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Iringe-Koko stated that the police have taken measures to control the activities of local security groups in the state. She noted that on May 9, the command received a report from Usman Seleh, Chairman of the Hausa Indigenous Group in ONELGA, regarding the abduction of one of their members by OSPAC personnel.
“Consequently, the police invited Nwaobakata for questioning, but he refused to honour several invitations sent to him. Instead of honouring the invitations, the OSPAC commander coordinated a deadly attack on a police station at Omoku, which was repelled by police personnel on duty. Based on this, the tactical units of the command stormed the ONELGA OSPAC camp at Omoku and arrested seven members of the group. Nwaobakata was subsequently captured on June 17 at his hideout in Omoku, where we discovered two human skulls and bones in his possession,” she said.
Iringe-Koko further said that the OSPAC commander was a prime suspect in the murder of two brothers, Collins Ugorji, 32, and Newman Ugorji, 39, from the Idu community in ONELGA.
She said that the two brothers were brutally killed on May 1 on the suspicion and allegation of being involved in kidnapping
“Immediately after their murder, their motorcycles and bodies were taken to the OSPAC headquarters in Omoku and received by Nwaobakata. The whereabouts of their bodies remain unknown. We are still investigating to determine their burial locations,” she noted.
In a related development, Iringe-Koko disclosed that in response to the alleged numerous atrocities by members of OSPAC, youths of Egbeda community in Emuoha LGA held a peaceful protest to demand justice.
She stated that after the protesters were addressed by the police and dispersed, they were ambushed on their way back by OSPAC members.
The police spokesperson added that the attack on the protesters was led by the Egbeda OSPAC Commander, Friday Ogbuji.
“He shot and killed the Egbeda youth leader, Innocent Didia, on the spot. We made some arrests, and we are investigating these incidents and others in order to prosecute the perpetrators,” she said.
Iringe-Koko said that the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, urged residents of the state facing assault, extortion or abuse by local security outfits to report to the police station.
The police spokesperson said that excessive use of force, torture, fraudulent property conversion, and other illegal activities by vigilance groups were prohibited.
She said that although vigilance groups were helping to strengthen the community policing system in the state, the command would not tolerate human rights violations.
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