Police arrest 38-year-old man over 2022 shooting of inspector

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Operatives of the Operation Puff Adder of the Bayelsà State Police Command have arrested a 38-year-old man, Iliasu Mohammed, over his alleged involvement in the 2022 shooting of a Police Inspector, Ekperi Edwin, in the stomach in Yenagoa, the State capital.

The Police Inspector, Ekperi Edwin Osuo, was shot on August 21, 2022, and left for dead by unidentified gunmen along his street at Akenfa, Yenagoa. Police sources described the incident as an alleged armed robbery and attempted assassination. Osuo was reported to have sustained life-threatening injuries and underwent emergency surgery, with pellets still reportedly lodged in his body over the past three years after the incident.

The case, however, took a new dimension following allegations that a key suspect linked to the crime was released under questionable circumstances after being handed over to the Nigeria Police Force by the military.

Sources told Sunday Sun that a fresh petition to the State Commissioner of Police, Daniel Iyamah, was minutes away from the special tactical and intelligence-driven unit of the State Command headed by CSP Chris Nwaogbo. A suspect connected to the case is currently in police custody and is expected to be arraigned in court, marking the first concrete prosecutorial step since the incident occurred.

The initiative is part of renewed efforts by the new commissioner of police to ensure a thorough, impartial, and intelligence-led investigation, given the sensitivity of the case and the status of the victim as a serving police officer. It also signals renewed commitment by the Nigeria Police Force to address unresolved violent crimes, especially those involving attacks on its personnel.

Police authorities have confirmed that investigations are ongoing and assured that the matter would be investigated thoroughly.

Already, the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the State Ministry of Justice has approved the prosecution case, and the Police are awaiting the arraignment of the suspect in the State High Court.