Update on Aluu 4 killings; Suspects arrested!!

After two weeks of the gruesome murder of the four students of University of Port Harcourt, thirteen suspects have been arrested in connection with the killings. The suspects will be arraigned in court today.This was made known in Port Harcourt yesterday by Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr Muhammed Ndabawa.

                                           

       The arrested suspects                                              

 Those paraded included the traditional ruler of Omokiri village, Alhaji Hassan Welewa, Lawal Segun, Lucky Orji, Cynthia Chinwo, Ekpe Daniel, George Nwadei, Gabriel Oche and Ozioma Abajuo.

 Others were Chigozie Evans Samuel, Endurance Edet, Uwem Sampson Akpabio, David Chinasa Ugbaje and Ikechukwu Louis Amadi (alias Kapoon).

Also yesterday, the police announced that they had arrested the fleeing principal suspect in the murder, Lucky, alias Bright, who raised the false alarm that labelled the students as armed robbers, which prompted the rage of the mob. He was said to owe one of the victims a large sum of money and the students had only gone to recover the debt when Lucky raised the false alarm.

However, more revelations have emerged as a suspect in custody, David Ugbaje told journalists Tuesday in Port Harcourt, when the police paraded him and 12 other suspects for their alleged involvement in the crime, that one of the policemen who met them when the mob was beating the students joined them in beating the victims. He explained that it was after the policeman had partaken in the beating that he requested that the students be handed over to them, a request which the mob refused.

Ugbaje’s narrative tallied with the eyewitness account of Miss Ibisobia Elkanah, elder sister of  Tekenah Friday Elkanah. Ibisobia said the police were not repelled by the mob as claimed by them (police), but that one of the policemen suggested that the victims be burnt alive.

 “The police van came, went into the mob and they were talking to them (youths). The people kept quiet as the police were making statements. I heard them laughing. You know, they were happy. They kept quiet again. The police talked and they laughed again. The next was for me to see three policemen coming out of the mob, boarded their van. And, one of the said ‘burn them alive’. I must confess, I was gripped with fear,” she said.