News
How Nemesis Caught Up With Ritual Murder Suspect …PH Agog As Residents Jubilate …DPO, Inspector Released From Detention
Facts have emerged on how the police re-arrested the ritual murder suspect, Ifeanyichukwu Maxwell Dike, who escaped from the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) of Rivers State Police Command, last month.
The escapee murder suspect, a 200-level student of the University of Port Harcourt, was alleged to have defiled and murdered an eight-year-old girl, Miss Victory Chikamso Nmesu at Messiah Street, Eliozu Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state for ritual purposes.
It would be recalled that the suspect was arrested by the vigilante group in the community and later handed over to the officers of the Okporo Police Station, who in turn, handed Dike over to the dismissed Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Sergeant Johnbosco Okoroeze, now in prison custody.
However, luck ran out of him, last Friday, when officers of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Plateau State Police Command arrested him over alleged armed robbery incident in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.
The Tide learnt that the news of the re-arrest of Ifeanyichukwu filtered into the state, following a phone conversation officials of SARS in Plateau State Command allegedly had with one Mrs Blessing Dike, an elder sister to the murder suspect.
The Tide gathered that Mrs Blessing Dike was contacted by SARS informing her of the arrest of Ifeanyichukwu Dike, his younger brother in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, following his involvement in an undisclosed armed robbery incident.
It was learnt that Mrs Dike later informed the SARS team that his younger brother was wanted by the Rivers State Police Command over a murder case.
Sources told The Tide that it was after the discussion with Mrs Dike that authorities of the Plateau State Police Command called to inform the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Zaki Mohammed Ahmed that the escapee murder suspect had been re-arrested.
Confirming the re-arrest of Ifeanyichukwu Dike by the Plateau State Police Command, last Friday, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the command was fully in touch with its counterpart in Plateau State, adding that the information about the ritual murder suspect’s re-arrest has been ascertained.
Omoni further disclosed that a detachment of police from the command led by DCP in-charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) has been despatched to Plateau State in order to bring the suspect back to the state to face prosecution.
Meanwhile, the parents of the murdered little Miss Chikamso Victory and residents of Eliozu community have continued their jubilation over the re-arrest of Ifeanyichukwu Dike by the police.
Some the residents, who spoke to newsmen, at the weekend, described his re-arrest as an act of God.
They lauded the police for their steadfastness and diligence in the re-arrest of the murder suspect, adding that such feats will spur further public confidence in the police.
They urged the police not to be in a hurry to prosecute the suspect but called for thorough investigation to unravel and unmask other accomplices in the matter.
However, The Tide learnt that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and a serving Inspector of Police (names withheld) who were earlier arrested in connection with Ifeanyichukwu Dike’s escape have been released from police detention.
A senior police officer, who spoke to The Tide on condition of anonymity, said the two police officers were released, last Friday morning, adding that they were still being investigated on their roles in the escape saga.
He claimed that the DPO, the dismissed IPO and the murder suspect were alleged to have hailed from the same community in Imo State.
The source further revealed that the DCP, SCID was dispatched to Plateau in order to ascertain the role of the DPO, inspector and the dismissed sergeant in the escape of the suspect.
The Tide reports that nemesis caught up with Dike, barely 19 days after his escape from the custody of the Rivers State Police Command on August 20.
The Tide can authoritative report that Dike was, last Friday, re-arrested by the Plateau State Police Command in Barkin Ladi, near Jos, shortly after he attempted to rob residents of an apartment in the area.
Speaking to newsmen in Jos, Dike confessed that he travelled to Jos from Port Harcourt through a trailer that loaded goods to Jos.
The most wanted ritual killer, whose pictures were widely circulated in both social and conventional media as well as police formations across the country, said “I came to Jos on August 21, 2017 because I was trying to run away from the alleged ritual offence I was said to have committed.
“But I am not a ritual killer. I only raped the girl.
“I only had sex with the girl, and cut off her body while trying to escape from the environment, but I am not a ritual killer,” he said.
The notorious Dike, who does not appear his declared age, and also inconsistent with his lies, however, did not disclose what he planned to do with the little girl’s vital body parts he had severed.
While speaking on why he was arrested trying to rob a house in Barkin Ladi, he said: “I thought it was an abandoned house because I was looking for a place to hide so that people will not identify me.
“But unfortunately, the owner was in the house, and he raised alarm. Following the alarm, I was arrested by the police.”
He also claimed that hunger forced him into the robbery incident during which he was apprehended.
While confirming the re-arrest, the Plateau State Police Commissioner of Police, Peter Ogunyanwo said the suspected ritual killer was arrested following information from residents of an apartment in Barkin Ladi area near Jos about an attempted robbery by the wanted criminal.
Ogunyanwo, who briefed newsmen in Jos, said that the suspect was arrested by officers and men of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad (FARS).
“The suspect was nabbed in the early hours of Friday, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state, while robbing a house,” he said, adding that the suspect had barely spent 10 days in Plateau before his re-arrest.
According to Ogunyanwo, the suspect was initially arrested on August 19, after he allegedly killed an eight-year-old girl, but escaped from detention four days later.
He said that Dike’s re-arrest had a divine angle to it “because you cannot spill blood and go free; God will definitely arrest you.
“We have alerted the police in Rivers State. As soon as they are ready, they will come and pick him,” Ogunyanwo said, assuring that Dike has been placed in a secure detention cell while awaiting his safe transfer to Port Harcourt.
Dike, a 200-level Physics student of the University of Port Harcourt, was apprehended by a vigilante group in Eliozu area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on his way to dispose of the body of eight-year old Victory Chikamso Nmesu, whom he allegedly kidnapped, raped and murdered.
The suspected ritual killer, however, escaped from detention at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, barely 24 hours after being paraded by the state Commissioner of Police, Zaki Mohammed Ahmed.
The suspect, after escaping from custody, went into hiding and later boarded an articulated vehicle to Jos.
Similarly, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed has confirmed that he was in touch with his Plateau State counterpart on the re-arrest and custody of the ritual murder suspect, adding that plans were in place to transfer the suspect to Port Harcourt to face justice.
The Tide recalls that the vigilante group had been handed over the suspect to officers of the Okporo Police Station, on Saturday, August 19.
The men of Okporo Police Station, had in turn, transferred the alleged ritual killer to the SCID for further investigations and prosecution.
The suspect was arrested and paraded on Saturday, 19th August, 2017, only to escape from the Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant Johnbosco Okoroeze, shortly after taking his statement on oath at the highly secured security department in the heart of Port Harcourt.
Following the embarrassing incident, angry Zaki Ahmed later told newsmen in Port Harcourt that Sergeant Johnbosco Okoroeze was found guilty of carrying out premeditated action and aided the escape of the prime suspect, even before he was taken into custody.
“He was accordingly dismissed from the force and charged to court for accessory after the fact to murder, perverting the course of justice and permitting the escape of a murder suspect and has been remanded in prison custody”, Ahmed declared.
Zaki also revealed that another suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing, following the lead provided in Ifeanyi’s statement at the police station.
It would be recalled that the Rivers State Police Command had offered a reward of N1million for whoever will provide useful information that would lead to the arrest of the fleeing suspect.
In the same manner, the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside, also pledged N500,000 reward for anyone with useful information that could aid police re-arrest of the principal suspect in the murder of the eight-year old girl.
In a related development, passengers of an Owerri-bound bus from Port Harcourt, last Thursday, were kidnapped shortly after Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, by gunmen.
The Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed the abduction, said that out of the 14 passengers kidnapped, 11 have been rescued.
Omoni added that crack security operatives were combing the bushes in that axis of Ikwerre Local Government Area to free the three that were still being held hostage by the dare-devil criminals.
A bill to amend the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill, which mandates compulsory counselling and training for individuals convicted of corruption-related offences, was sponsored by Kayode Akiolu (APC-Lagos) during plenary on Wednesday.
Leading the debate, Mr Akiolu explained that the bill sought to amend Section 67 of the principal act, introducing new provisions that were not part of the original section.
“These additional provisions, found in subsections 2, 3, and 4 of the amendment bill, require judges and magistrates to not only impose imprisonment and/or fines on those convicted of corruption but also mandate a minimum four-week anti-corruption counselling and training.
“The counselling and training will be designed and delivered by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN) and aims to address the psychological factors related to corrupt behaviour,” Mr Akiolu said.
Mr Akiolu emphasised that the training would help reform convicts by addressing their corrupt tendencies and could even transform them into advocates for anti-corruption efforts.
He added that this approach aligned with the reformative aspect of the criminal justice system, which focused on punishment and rehabilitation.
“As per subsection 4, the bill allows magistrates and judges to order convicts to cover the cost of their counselling and training, preventing additional financial burdens on the government,” the lawmaker noted.
Mr Akiolu further argued that if the bill is passed into law, it would strengthen the country’s fight against corruption.
Given the widespread negative impact of corruption, he urged the House to support the bill for the country’s benefit.
Following the debate, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas referred the bill to the relevant committee for further legislative consideration.
The Judiciary and the Media are key pillars of democracy, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has said.
Kekere-Ekun made this statement in her address at the 2024 National Conference of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC).
The CJN was represented by Mr Abdulaziz Olumo, the Secretary of the National Judicial Institute (NJI).
“ The judiciary and the media occupy unique and complementary roles in any democratic society.
“ The judiciary serves as the guardian of justice, equity, and the rule of law, the media acts as the conscience of society, disseminating information, shaping public opinion, and ensuring accountability.
“ Together, these institutions provide checks and balances that strengthen the fabric of democracy,” she said.
Quoting Felix Frankfurter, a former U.S. Supreme Court Justice, she said: free press is not to be preferred to an independent judiciary, nor an independent judiciary to a free press. Neither has primacy over the other; both are indispensable to a free society.”
The CJN said this dynamic interdependence between the judiciary and the media presents opportunities and challenges alike.
“ The media is entrusted with the responsibility of informing the public about judicial activities, the judiciary relies on accurate and ethical reportage to enhance public confidence in its work.
“ However, the inherent power of the media to influence public opinion requires careful management, especially when its focus turns to judicial proceedings.
“ The question posed by Robert J.Cordy, a former Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, is pertinent here: “What happens when the free press turns its sights on the courts-scrutinizing, sensationalizing, and exposing the frailties of the judiciary while questioning its ethical standards and performance?”
“The media’s capacity to shape narratives and perceptions is undeniable” she said.
Quoting Jim Morrison , she said “Whoever controls the media controls the mind.”
According to her, this underscores the immense responsibility placed on journalists to report truthfully, fairly, and objectively.
“ Unfortunately, the commercialisation of news and external influences have led to the rise of sensationalism-a practice that distorts facts, erodes trust, and undermines the very essence of journalism.
“ Sensationalised headlines, such as the infamous 2016 headline “We raided the houses of ‘corrupt, unholy’ judges, says DSS,” can paint a skewed picture of the judiciary and its officers. Such reporting, often devoid of context, compromises the integrity of the justice system and misleads the public.
“ Closely tied to this is the issue of “trial by media,” where premature and often biased media narratives prejudge cases and infringe on the constitutional rights of individuals” she said.
She added that as Mahatma Gandhi rightly observed, “The sole aim of journalism should be service.” It is imperative for media practitioners to remain steadfast in their commitment to truth and objectivity.
To this end, she advised, the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents to take proactive steps to regulate the activities of its members.
“ This is not merely about enforcing rules but about fostering professionalism and safeguarding the credibility of the media.
“ The judiciary and the media must work as partners in progress.
“ To bridge the gap between these institutions, there is a pressing need for constructive engagement and mutual understanding.
“ Courts can provide the media with guidelines on judicial processes, courtroom decorum, and the nuances of court proceedings.
She noted that globally, courts have adopted initiatives to support the media’s role in reporting judicial matters.
For instance, she said the Supreme Court of Dakota’s media guide outlines protocols for courtroom reporting, while the UK ‘s Media Guidance document provides clarity on access and etiquette for journalists.
“ These examples demonstrate how structured collaboration can enhance the quality of judicial reportage.
“ In Nigeria, we can take a cue from these models by developing a comprehensive media guide tailored to our judicial landscape.
“ This initiative, which would involve inputs from NAJUC and judicial stakeholders, would not only enhance media access to courtrooms but also ensure that judicial activities are accurately and responsibly reported” she said.
She advocated that judiciary correspondents must make deliberate efforts to familiarise themselves with the rules and procedures of the courts.
She added that understanding these frameworks will enable journalists to navigate the complexities of judicial proceedings effectively and responsibly.
“ Training programs such as this conference play a crucial role in equipping judiciary correspondents with the knowledge and skills needed to report judicial matters accurately.
“ The theme of this year’s conference, “The Role of Courts in Enforcement of Judgments,” is both timely and significant, as it addresses an aspect of judicial work that is critical to upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice.
“ I commend NAJUC for its commitment to promoting accountability and transparency through its engagements with the judiciary.
“ As I conclude, I must emphasize the importance of credible journalism in strengthening public trust in the judiciary” she said.
She urged judiciary correspondents to prioritise the pursuit of truth and objectivity, resist undue influences, and remain steadfast in their commitment to ethical standards.
She commended the leadership of NAJUC, under the chairmanship of Mr Kayode Lawal, for its efforts in promoting professionalism among judiciary correspondents.
The Senate has issued an arrest warrant for the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr Peer Lubasch, to appear before its Committee on Works.
The Tide’s source reports that the warrant was for Lubasch to explain the utilisation of funds appropriated for the reconstruction work on Calabar-Odukpani-Itu highway.
The warrant followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Sen. Osita Ngwu (PDP- Enugu) and co-sponsored by Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC-Cross River) and Sen. Mpigi Barinada (PDP- Rivers) at plenary in Abuja, yesterday.
Ngwu, in the motion said, that the senate had mandated the committee on works to conduct investigation into the state of road infrastructure across the country.
He said that in furtherance to the investigative hearings, Julius Berger refused to honour invitations to provide details of its role in the Calabar-Odukpani-Itu highway project, in spite of receiving substantial public funds.
He said that this was worrisome, given the alarming discrepancies in performance among contractors on the project, with specific reference to Julius Berger for failing to meet delivery timelines.
Ngwu said it was the constitutional powers of the National Assembly under Sections 8 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to conduct investigations on any person or organisation responsible for administering public funds.
He said that the powers set out in section 6 of the legislative powers and privileges act empowered the Senate to issue warrants of arrest on persons in contempt of its proceedings.
The Tide source reports that the senate further ruled that President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, should sign the warrant, mandating the Julius Berger managing director to appear on a date to be communicated.
Akpabio said that the senate’s decision was in line with its constitutional powers under Section 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“This senate will not tolerate the continued disregard of its authority.
“The managing director of Julius Berger must appear before the relevant committee, failing which further actions will be taken as prescribed by the constitution.
“The point of order, which was supported by the majority of the senators, highlighted the importance of upholding the integrity of the legislature.
“The senate committee will submit its findings to the National Assembly after the MD’s appearance.
“If there is any further failure to comply, we shall take the necessary steps to ensure respect for the constitution and the rule of law,” Akpabio said.