Prime suspect denies killing Rivers DPO

Gift Okpara, identified as the prime suspect in the murder case involving the Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, Bako Angbashin, has surfaced and spoken out while in hiding.

Addressing the public via a voice note aired on a prominent Radio Station (92.3, Nigeria Info, Port Harcourt) on Monday morning, the notorious cultist, also known as General 2-Baba, vehemently denied any involvement in the crime.

He claimed to have conversed with the late DPO shortly before the tragic incident and revealed reasons behind his gang’s decision to take up arms despite being granted amnesty by the previous administration.

He stated, “I want to tell the Rivers State Government that I am not involved in anything concerning the death of DPO. I didn’t want to say anything all this while. But I decided to speak out because of the way people were talking about it.

“I was surprised and I want to tell people that I was not after the DPO and I’m not involved in his death. It is just that the incident happened on my community road. And the day it (killing) occurred I spoke with him. I and the DPO discussed this.

“I was not even there when he was killed that day and I was shocked when I heard about the incident.”

He said he returned to crime after his group submitted their weapons following the amnesty granted them because a rival gang did not submit and were killing his members, including his younger brother; pointing out that the government didn’t take any action against them.

“We submitted all the arms and ammunition we have, but our opposition refused to submit. And I saw that the government didn’t do anything about it. So my gang started regretting our decision to submit our arms.

“So since we no longer have weapons, our rivals now used the advantage to trail us and kill members of my gang. They killed my younger brother of the same parents and burnt our house. That was my annoyance and that was why I went back to gunplay (crime),” he said.

The suspect who now claims to be a freedom fighter for the youths of Ekpeye (communities in his region) also denied involvement in the kidnapping, illegal bunkering and related acts of criminality, noting that he was into the dredging business.

According to Okpara, “I didn’t pick up arms again for the purpose of intimidating people and causing problems. Everybody knows I was not into kidnapping, illegal bunkering, or any criminal activity.

“I have just been concentrating on my business. And everybody knows that the only business I was doing was dredging. That is what I do,” adding that he was self-sponsored and not bankrolled by a traditional ruler as claimed.

General 2-Baba was declared wanted by the police following the gruesome murder of SP Angbashin on September 8, 2023, in the Odiemude community in Ahoada East LGA of the state.

No fewer than 50 persons, including a monarch and former LG Chairman, are standing trial over the death of the gallant police officer.

The state police command has severally raided criminal hideouts in the Ahoada axis of the state and killed some suspects linked to the death of the DPO, but the prime target, 2-baba has remained elusive.

Also attempts by operatives to recover the decapitated body of the late SP Angbashin, have been unsuccessful.