Authorities of the Imo State Police Command, say they have apprehended a suspect linked to the killing of a retired police officer Chris Kpatuma, within the Mgbala Agwa Autonomous Community, Oguta Local Government Area.
The spokesman for the command, CSP Micheal Abattam in a statement on Friday, stated that on receipt of information concerning the retired officer’s murder, the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Hussaini, immediately dispatched the command’s tactical teams to the Agwa Community with a mandate to fish out the perpetrators of the outrageous act.
CSP Abattam further explained that on arrival, the teams commenced a discreet investigation. According to him, after diligently gathering both forensic and technical intelligence, one of the suspects and leader of the cult group that killed the retired police officer, Deberechi Chukwu, was arrested while escaping to a border state.
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The spokesman also explained that in the course of investigation, it was revealed that the suspect, Deberechi Chukwu, is a notorious kidnapper and an escapee from the Imo Correctional Center Owerri, Imo State.
The suspect, after escaping from the Imo Correctional Centre, recruited young men into his cult group and were terrorizing the Agwa community.
According to the police, Chukwu has been involved in the killings of a lot of security personnel in the state. However, the suspect is said to have now made useful statements and has volunteered to assist the police in the arrest of other members of his gang presently, on the run.
Based on the suspect’s confession, it was gathered that the group of young men suspected to be cultist residents in Mgbala Community Agwa in Oguta LGA of Imo State, conspired amongst themselves and went to the home of the retired Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and a native of Mgbala.
They abducted and took him to a nearby bush where they killed him and later carried the corpse back and dump it in front of his compound.
With investigations now underway, the Commissioner of Police, while commending the officers for their prompt action, urged them to intensify efforts in ensuring that the other suspects linked to the murders are arrested.
He also advised the people of the community and the vigilante groups to work in collaboration with the police and give credible information that will assist in the arrest of other suspects.
