The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Emeka Nwonyi, has revealed how the late Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada, Bako Angbashim, was deceived by the cultist group that killed him.
Nwonyi on Monday told human rights advocate, Charles Jaja, during a solidarity protest to the state Police Command in Port Harcourt that the deceased trusted the cultist group when they said they were ready to turn in their arms if they would be granted amnesty in return.
According to the CP, it was rather unfortunate that while the late DPO, trusted the miscreants, it was unfortunate he could only realise in death it was a trap to kill him.
OsunDailyNG recalls that Angbashim, a Superintendent of Police, was killed on Friday by cultists terrorising the Odiemudie community in Ahoada East Local Government of Rivers State.
Giving more details about the death of Angbashim, the Rivers Police boss noted that “What pains me most was the idea of him (Angbashim) believing like he kept saying that these people said they were ready to surrender their guns and come out for amnesty.
“And he played to the gallery, only to know in death that these people were rather crafty in their operation and lured him for an onslaught.”
Expressing bitterness that death was not the price to pay for him to protect his community, the CP said, “We gave you (cultists) the opportunity to embrace peace, no personal interest attached than the interest we collectively have to make sure that Rivers State is peaceful.
“If you will not take it, was the option of killing this man the best? He has a family, he has children, and he has a wife. No! You have touched the lion’s tail. Those men must be caught to face the wrath of the law.
“We will be unrepentant until we put crime and criminality to its barest minimum in Rivers State.
“As police officers, if we left our family, our environment, our homes for a state or national duty like this, this is not the best trophy to take home.
“It is a clarion call for Nigeria, for Rivers State. It is a wake-up call against the barbaric act. In this 21st century, a man that is not a criminal, his only call was to come to sanitise society; that you should stop killing your fellow human beings, kidnapping your fellow human beings, destroying people’s property. That was the only crime.”
The CP also told citizens to take advantage of the N100 million bounty placed on the leader of the gang, Gift Okpara Okpolowu, aka 2 Face, to provide leading information to the police.
“I am saying that patriotic citizens should take advantage of that. Be a whistleblower and make the money, and also help to make sure we arrest these bad guys for your own interest and humanity,” he added.
