The mystery surrounding the gruesome murder of an aide to Edo State Governor, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, continues as a police report revealed that the suspects paraded by States Security Service (SSS) were no where near the scene of the crime.
According to the report exclusively obtained by Pointblanknews it also was also revealed that a prime suspect in the Murder of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, Garba Usman Maisamari, identified Rev. David Ugolor, as the master-mind of the murder.
The report said Maisamari further alleged that Rev Ugolor, referred to as a bossom friend of Oyerinde, offered the sum of N20 million for execution of Mr. Oyerinde.
The report also blamed the controversy in the matter on the unsolicited advice of the Edo State Directorate of Public Prosecution.
The report was a briefing by the Nigeria Police Force to the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions dated Wednesday, February 13 2013 at National Assembly Abuja during an investigative hearing on the alleged improper investigation in the murder of Comrade Oyerinde Olaitan as presented by the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Force CID Abuja.
According to the police the SSS did not include case files of their suspects when they were transferred to the police, hence mandating the police to do a background check on the suspects which revealed that they were criminals who had no knowledge of Oyerinde’s murder.
Recall that the Police and the SSS had in the wake of the murder of Oyerinde on May 4, 2012, paraded separate suspects. But, the Edo State governors has severally accused the police of complicity in the murder of his aide.
While the police paraded as Garba Usman Maisamari, Danjuma Musa, Muritala Usman, Auta Umaru Ali and Moses Asamah Okoro as the suspects, the SSS paraded, Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi, Raymond Onajite Origbo and Edeh Chikezie as suspects in the murder.
The report while indicting the SSS in the complicity of the matter said “on or about the 1st of August, 2012, the Department of State Services paraded six suspects in a televised press conference.
“The SERVICE announced that they arrested the suspects for the murder of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde and stealing from his house.
“Similarly, the DG SSS followed up with a letter dated 1st August, 2012 to the Inspector-General of Police and requested the Police to take over the six suspects for prosecution. (See Document 13 in Appendix 3)
“On the 23rd of August, 2012, the Department of State Services transferred seven suspects which now included LAWAL Abubakar (See Document 14 in Appendix 3).
“The Department of State Services did not transfer ANY CASEFILE be it Original or Duplicate to the Police.
“The Department of State Services did not transfer any Investigation Report-be it interim, preliminary or final report to the Police.
“The Department of State Services did not handover any complainant, witness or suspect’s statements; enabling documents like search warrants or attestation by investigating officers to the Police.
“None of the exhibits transferred by the Department of State Services to the Police related to any of the items stolen from late Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde’s house. One of the victims Adeyinka Oletubo has confirmed this position after viewing the items.
“The Police wrote to the Department of State Services requesting for information/interface which may lead to successful investigation but no response.
(See Document 15 of Appendix 3)
Police had no choice than to perform its statutory responsibility of Criminal investigation hence a full investigation.”
The police said upon the failure of the SSS to provide the needed casefile, it conduct their own investigation on the SSS suspects.
“The three suspects identified by the Department of State Services as the suspects who murdered late Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde namely Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi, Raymond Onajite Origbo and Edeh Chikezie were variously interrogated.
They admitted being armed robbers who usually operated as a gang of six made up of themselves, one Sani, one Ali alias Smally and one Ishiaka –all at large.
“They also admitted to various armed robbery escapades in Benin City promising to take the Police to the locations but denied any involvement in the armed robbery of 4th May, 2012 at No. 65, 2nd Ugbor road, GRA Benin City at the house of late Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde.
“They also admitted that in their operations they were usually armed with three cut to size single barrel guns provided by Ishiaka- a Fulani nomad who is a member of the gang.
“Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi posited that when his house was searched, only one hammer, one matchet and two kitchen knives were recovered by Department of State Services operatives and denied knowledge of 1 No Europa Magnum Pump Action gun and 2Nos Russian Double Barrel guns said to have been recovered from him.
“The suspects claimed that they were never taken to the scene of crime and that the late Comrade Olaitan’s house was shown to them from a Black Berry telephone by their interrogators.
“Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi, Raymond Origbo Chikezie admitted knowledge of Saidu Yakubu alias IMAM as a Receiver of stolen property at Ring Road Benin City. Raymond Origbo admitted knowledge of Sani Abdullahi Abubakar as a receiver of stolen property especially telephones.
Hassan Bashiru admitted being a receiver of stolen property and also admitted knowledge of Sani Abubakar and Lawal Abubakar.
“Hassan Bashiru admitted that he bought telephone handsets and laptop from one Garba Usman Maisamari and he sold one of the telephone handsets to Lawal Abubakar.
Bashiru Hassan also admitted that he had sold several telephone handsets to Hassan Babete Aliyu in the past.”
The detention of Rev Ugolor by the police had sparked a lot of furore especially from the civil society on grounds that he was wrongfully detained.
However, the police report read “Garba Usman Maisamari admitted that he was hired to execute the job for a fee of #20million.
“He named one David whom he described as “not too tall, dark in complexion, get body small and wears native dress called old School always” as the man who gave him the job.
“That he had already paid him #200,000 (Two hundred thousand naira) as advance at Bob Izua Park area.
Moses Asamah Okoro, Danjuma Musa, Muritala Usman and Auta Umaru were re-interrogated and they confirmed that at a meeting with Garba Usman Maisamari in a beer parlour around Owina junction, Benin City he Maisamari told them that if the job was successful and the man is killed, they will be given #20million.
“The trio of Danjuma Musa, Muritala Usman and Auta Umaru Ali stated that Moses Asamah Okoro insisted that he wants to meet the person to ensure that the money must be paid and Garba Usman Maisamari called the man on phone and he spoke with Moses Asamah Okoro.
“The Beer Parlour at Owina Junction was visited called “Somebody Parliament”. The owner one James Amadin identified Auta Umaru Ali as a customer who usually comes to patronize him with some hausa boys.
“Consequently, Rev. David Ugolor of No 123 First East Circular Road, Benin City whose features fitted Garba Usman Maisamari description and who has been previously questioned in the course of investigation was arrested on 27th July, 2012.
“He was put up for identification parade on the same date and he was positively identified by Garba Usman Maisamari.”
The report continued “We have noted the allegations of the petitioners that one of their members Rev. David Ugolor was arrested on a singular and un-confirmed statement of a suspect who confessed that he David masterminded the assassination of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde.
“We wish to confirm that the suspect Garba Usman Maisamari stated so even before Rev. David Ugolor and the confession is on video tape. We also wish to add that Rev. David Ugolor was positively identified in an identification parade conducted on the 27th of July 2012 by the said Garba Usman Maisamari in the presence of his lawyers.
“Worthy of note is that minutes before the parade, Rev. David Ugolor changed his position from No 4 to No 9 on the advice of one of his lawyers and it was at this point he was identified.”
Slamming the Edo State Judicial office, the report said, “we wish to state for purposes of clarity and public records that the assertion by the Edo State DPP in his Legal Advice attached to the Civil Society Organization petition under reference “that he is aware that the casefile of some persons who reportedly made confessional statements have been handed over to the Police by the SSS is false in its entirety.
“We challenge him to show proof. Apart from the documents referred to as Documents 13 and 14 in Appendix 3, the Police did not receive any other document from the Department of State Services.
“We also wish to point out that in the same Legal Advice under reference, the DPP had opined that a prima facie case of Conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery and murder is made out against Usman Adamu amongst others. We do not know Usman Adamu and he was never investigated by the Police.”
The police in discounting the allegations of the petitioner said “the petitioners had argued that two of the suspects arrested by the Police in the course of investigation were in Police Custody when Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde was murdered.
THIS IS NOT TRUE.
“Suspects Danjuma Musa ‘m’ and Muritala Usman ‘m’ were arrested on the 24th of May,
2012 and not 24th of April, 2012. The duo of Danjuma Musa and Muritala Usman were arrested by good Nigerians on the 24th of May, 2012 and handed over to the Divisional Police Officer, Oba Market Police Station Benin City who in turn handed them over to the Special Anti Robbery Squad, Edo State Police Command on the same day for an offence of unlawful possession of cartridges.
2012 and not 24th of April, 2012. The duo of Danjuma Musa and Muritala Usman were arrested by good Nigerians on the 24th of May, 2012 and handed over to the Divisional Police Officer, Oba Market Police Station Benin City who in turn handed them over to the Special Anti Robbery Squad, Edo State Police Command on the same day for an offence of unlawful possession of cartridges.
“In the course of diligent investigation in the late Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde’s murder the operatives of the Force CID Abuja took over the suspects on the 27th of June, 2012.
“The statements made by the two suspects and witnesses who were present during the arrest elucidated this fact. The letter we wrote to the Edo State DPP on 19th November, 2012 stated the date of their arrest clearly and for purposes of emphasis is partly reproduced below:- “We wish to unequivocally state that the duo of Danjuma Musa and Muritala Usman were arrested on the 24th of May, 2012,”REPEAT 24th of May, 2012 AND NOT 24th of April, 2012”.
“The respective statements they made to the Police contained in the Duplicate case file which the learned DPP vetted contained this fact in pages B5a, B6d and B6f.
Furthermore, the statements of eye witnesses to the arrest contained in pages A14 and A15 of the same casefile elucidated this fact. The Police investigation report clearly stated the date of arrest as 24th of May, 2012 in the following paragraphs and pages:- Paragraph 3.9, page 7 Paragraph 3.10.9 (x) page 23 Paragraph 3.10.9 (xi) page 24 Paragraph 3.10.9 (xxv) page 41 Paragraph 3.10.9 (xxvi) page 45 Paragraph 4 xxix page 85.
“We admit a printer’s error in the investigation report where 24/04/12 was typed in page 78 paragraph 4 (viii), line four instead of 24/05/12. We also posit that in no other part of that report did such an error or such a meaning was conveyed.
“Similarly, we ordinarily thought that the learned DPP was actually vetting the duplicate casefile which included the investigation report and not the investigation report alone and would have taken into consideration the statements made by the suspects, witnesses and all other circumstances/ramifications of the matter before the opinion.
“From the foregoing, it is very clear and obvious that the date of arrest of Danjuma Musa and Muritala Usman was 24th of May, 2012.
“Any other insinuation to the contrary is not only mischievous but frivolous and aimed at diverting attention from the real issues.
“The petitioners also posited that the gun used for the murder of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde was earlier used for armed robbery and recovered by the Police.
And that by Police record this gun was already in Police custody when the murder took place.
Again this is just simplistic and misleading.
“The four suspects who robbed and murdered Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde namely Danjuma Musa ‘m’, Muritala Usman ‘m’, Auta Umaru ‘m’, Moses Asamah Okoro ‘m’ used three guns for the operation and took away one Double barrel gun from the Deceased’s residence.
“In the course of investigation Danjuma Musa ‘m’ told investigation that he usually custodied one locally made cut to size single barrel gun belonging to the gang. He equally stated that this gun was one of the guns they used for the armed robbery operation in Comrade Olaitan’s house.
“According to him this gun was recovered by his land lady and handed over to Esigie Police Station Benin City after the landlady’s children stumbled on the gun in the course of their play where he Danjuma Musa hid it.
“Following the revelations of Danjuma Musa, the said landlady was contacted and she admitted the incidence but posited that she called a Police Corporal who lived nearby and it was the Policeman who recovered the gun to the Police Station.
“Investigation was extended to Esigie Police Station Benin City where the gun was finally recovered by the investigating team. The documentation in the crime diary at the Police Station showed that the gun was received on the 24th of April 2012. Our job as Police Investigators is to bring the facts disclosed by investigation to the fore. Our duties cannot include to falsify, alter, change or even forge facts for whatever reasons. We are satisfied that this gun was recovered through the sequential narration of Danjuma Musa and formed part of the arsenal of this gang.
Meanwhile the said gun has been forwarded to the Forensic Laboratory for Ballistic examination.”
Source: Pointblank News
No comments:
Post a Comment