The suspects

28 criminal suspects including one Vincent Omogor said to be the murderer of a Lokoja businessman, Nicholas Ofodile were Wednesday paraded by the Kogi State Police Command. The suspect confessed he was hired to kill the businessman for defaulting in the salary of one of his workers.

Ofodile, owner of popular Chuck’s Supermarket was gunned down in the early hours of Wednesday, 10th June along the popular Lokoja – Abuja highway.

The Kogi State Police Commissioner, CP Ede Ayuba while parading the suspects at the force headquarter in Lokoja said Omogor was arrested by SARS operatives in synergy with the vigilante group in Orehi in connection with the case.

He pointed out that the suspect confessed and mentioned his other cohorts who are still at large.

He noted that the command adopted comprehensive crime prevention and control strategies in recent times through intensive patrol, raids of identified criminal hideouts, black spots and flash points. They also conduct stop and search which led to the arrest of twenty eight suspected criminal elements.

“The command will continue to adopt common problem solving strategies for effective result on the community policing which has improved public confidence resulting in public spirited individuals coming forward to give or provide valuable information on criminal elements and their activites.

“Our operational style has provided avenue for effective collaboration with other critical stakeholders by giving them access to share information and intelligence that will assist in criminal control and management,” he said.

However, speaking with newsmen, the suspect Vicente Omogor said he was commissioned along with others to assassinate the Kogi business man. According to him the name of the person that sponsored the killing is called Chairman adding that the person as at the time was serving the late business man.

He said the sponsored of killing asked him and some of his colleagues to kill him because when his father was ill the business tycoon man refused to pay him his salary so that he can take care of his father. He stated further y unfortunately the father of Chairman died as a result of the illness and he chairman became angry and asked them to kill the business man.

“Chairman gave us full details about the man movement from Lokoja to Abuja. We then waited for him and when we saw his car we stopped his car dragged him down and then killed him and put his body back in to the car” he said.

Among those paraded are kidnappers, armed robbers and cattle rustlers while human skulls, two pump action guns, face mask, four AK47, one locally made pistols, two fabricated barreta pistols, ten round of MM live ammunition and other dangerous weapons.