Three years after, police arrest suspect in inspector shooting

Nathan Tamarapreye, 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 and left for dead in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The Police Inspector was shot on August 21, 2022, by unidentified gunmen along his street at Akenfa, Yenagoa, during what police sources described as an alleged armed robbery and attempted assassination.

The police inspector was reported to have sustained life-threatening injuries and underwent emergency surgery, with bullet pellets still reportedly lodged in his body over 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 Nigerian Police by the military.

Sources familiar with the incident told our correspondent that a new petition to the State Commissioner of Police, Daniel Iyamah, has been minuted to the Special Tactical and Intelligence 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 step in the prosecution since the incident.

Police sources described the move as part of 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.

Senior Security Sources, however, revealed that the takeover by Operation Puff Adder 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 will 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 suspect’s arraignment in the State High Court.