Three dismissed personnel of the Nigerian Army, identified as John Lucas, Nnamdi Emmanuel, Adebayo Adebayo and their gang leader, Promise Ogolo, have been killed during an exchange of gunfire between by operatives of the Rivers State Police Command and members of their gang at Aluu community in Ikwerre local government area of the state.
The suspects, were reportedly involved in the assassination of the chairman of Mgboshimini Community Development Committee in Obio/Akpor local government area of the state, Ndidi Livingstone.
Briefing journalists in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, said operatives of the command, working in collaboration with operatives of the FID-Intelligence Response Team, also arrested six other gang members.
The Police Commissioner said: “Recall the assassination of the then Community Development Council (CDC) chairman of Mgbuoshimini, Chief Ndidi Livingstone, on 13th January 2024, in front of his church, the Peculiar Faith Ministries, Rumueme. In that operation, four men stormed the church, dragged the victim out and murdered him, shooting him four times with AK-47 rifles in the presence of his wife, son and congregants of the church.
“The cold-blooded murder, which was carried out in broad daylight, was captured in a viral video that sparked outrage. I directed a team of operatives of the FID-Intelligence Response Team and the Rivers State Command on a nationwide manhunt for the killers.
“The special team identified the four men in the video, including the mastermind of the assassination, Peter Daddy Chukwu, who was hunted down to a hideout in Ibusa, Delta State, on April 5, 2024. His attempt to resist arrest led to his death.
“In the succeeding press briefing after the death of Daddy Chukwu, I gave assurances that every member of the gang would be apprehended. The unrelenting manhunt for the perpetrators seen shooting and murdering the deceased in the viral video has now led to the arrest of the three other persons directly responsible for the assassination and six more persons belonging to their criminal network.
“During the investigation, four of the suspects, John Lucas ‘m’, Nnamdi Emmanuel, m ‘, Ogolo Promise ‘m’ and Adebayo Adebayo ‘m’, led operatives to one of their camps at Pipeline, Aluu village for the recovery of their cache of weapons.
“While approaching the camp, they came under heavy gunfire by hoodlums suspected to be fellow gang members. The suspects attempted to escape in the ensuing ambush but were caught in the crossfire. The hoodlums were eventually overpowered, and the suspects rushed to UPTH for medical attention. The doctor confirmed them dead, and they were deposited in the UPTH morgue for autopsy.
“The suspects will be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded.
“Total arm and ammunition recovered include 2 AK-47 rifles, 1 assault rifle, 2 SMG rifles,1 shotgun rifle, 10 magazines,150 rounds of live ammunition, and 1 pistol.
“Efforts are still in top gear to apprehend more suspects connected to Daddy Chukwu’s criminal network and possibly recover more arms and ammunition.”