Kwara Police Commissioner, Mr Chinwike Asadu
The two survivors in the fatal attack on Kwara Police Commissioner, Mr Chinwike Asadu, have painted graphic details of how he was killed during a visit to his private house in Enugu, last Saturday. The late CP’s orderly, Aloha Olaniyi, and another policeman from the Abakpa Police Division initially taken to be his driver, Oliver Omeh, who were injured in the attack, said the gunmen, numbering about four, attacked them and in the process killed the CP.
The Enugu State Police Command, which is handling investigation into the incident, has arrested some suspects in connection with the killing. However, the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Tonye Ebitibituwa, who said his command was yet to unravel the real motive behind the killing of his Kwara State colleague, added that the police would reveal neither the number of those arrested nor their identities in order not to jeopardise the ongoing investigation.
The House of Representatives has also called for a thorough probe into the incident in order to fish out the killers and unravel their motives. Olaniyi and Omeh who are currently receiving treatment at the National Orthopaedic Hospital and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, said a man in police uniform was among the four gunmen that attacked the police commissioner while driving into his house after dropping a lawyer friend who visited him on that fateful evening.
They explained that the slain police commissioner was the one who drove the red Toyota Camry in which they were attacked, adding that while they were homebound, a bus overtook them and blocked their car.
They said that contrary to initial reports, the slain commissioner was in front of the car with Olaniyi, while Omeh who was in uniform, was sitting behind. He was said to have been drafted from a nearby police station to guard the late CP’s residence. His AK47 rifle was taken away in the attack.
“One of the gunmen ordered the commissioner to get down from the car and as he opened the car’s door to alight, his orderly in mufti in front with him also opened the door apparently to identify themselves but when the heavily armed assailants saw a policeman in uniform (Omeh) in the car, they suspected that he would shoot them and they immediately opened fire.
“We were all shot at close range several times; that was the point we lost consciousness until now,” Olaniyi stated while speaking from his hospital bed.
Briefing journalists on the progress report of investigation into the murder, Ebitibituwa said his command was yet to find the real motive behind the killing of his Kwara State colleague.
“It is too early in the day to pinpoint the reason for the assassination; whether it was armed robbery or kidnapping or whatever. From what we have got so far, we cannot say this was the motive for this crime and I want to say that the survivors are in intensive care unit and we have been talking with them so that we can put the pieces together and form our opinion,” he said.
Ebitibituwa explained that though so many suspects had been arrested, it would be premature to release either their identities or their number to avoid jeopardising ongoing investigations.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday condemned the brutal killing of Asadu.
The lawmakers observed a minute silence in honour of the slain police commissioner.
The lawmakers called on the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to fish out the killers of Asadu, just as they also tasked President Goodluck Jonathan to redouble his efforts as the nation’s chief security officer to ensure that all his security chiefs were on red alert to check further attacks.
The House resolutions followed a motion of urgent public importance raised by the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (PDP/Kwara), who described the killing of the police commissioner as callous and unfortunate.
No comments:
Post a Comment