- Examines video clips showing principal suspect, escorts at social outings
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, has ordered an investigation into the activities of ten policemen serving as security details to alleged drug baron and philanthropist, Aloysius Ikegwuonu, popularly known as ‘Bishop,’ our correspondent has learnt.
In the early hours of last Sunday, some unknown gunmen invaded a Catholic Church in Ozubulu, Anambra State, shooting indiscriminately and killing no fewer than 12 worshippers and injuring over 40 others.
‘Bishop’s’ father, who was one of the worshippers in the church during the early morning attack, was the first to be shot dead by the assailants, who also mowed down several other innocent persons.
The Anambra State Government in its reaction to the blood-letting inside the church, accused two notable indigenes of the town of extending a drug war they started in South Africa about two years ago to the community.
Governor Willy Obiano alleged that the two principal suspects had been at each other’s throat over unresolved rivalry in their drug trade in South Africa.
Our correspondent, however, gathered that as preliminary investigations into the matter commenced on Monday, video clips linking one of the principal suspects to some armed police officers attracted the interest of the police high command, which immediately embarked on the review of the clips.
In one of the video clips, a group of policemen are captured clustering around the principal suspect at a social gathering.
According to an insider source, “It appears that the armed police officers were in the know of what the suspect does for a living as the government of the country does not condone activities relating to drug dealings.”
Meanwhile, our correspondent learnt that carefully selected investigators from the Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad-an arm of the Force Criminal Investigations Department-have been instructed to probe and determine whether the armed police men in the video clip were officially permitted to escort the principal suspect at such occasions and on what terms.
“The office of the Inspector General of Police, wanted to know who gave an approval for escort of a suspected notorious drug dealer (though it had not been proved) whose activities reportedly led to a wanton destruction of lives and property at Ozubulu last Sunday during a mass service in the church.
“The office of the IGP has consistently condemned a situation whereby serving policemen would be found aiding and abetting criminals,” he added.
Our correspondent learnt that the probe of the policemen attached to ‘Bishop’ became imperative following speculations that policemen in the state usually connive with criminals in flagrant violation of best practices, norms and the enabling laws guiding the discharge of their statutory responsibilities and
operations.
According to the source, “Often at such occasions, policemen are usually seen struggling over money and other hand-outs given by their benefactors, even in the open.”
The source added that the IGP had always frowned upon situations whereby some policemen had been found “compromising integrity by doing things that are not in tune with regulations guiding
operations.”
