The police yesterday paraded three suspects for their alleged involvement in the attack on the farm house of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
The attack on the farm house led to the death of a policeman, Sergeant Haruna Sarki who was on guard duty.
The suspects paraded include a dismissed Nigerian Airforce personnel Vincent Michael with NAF number: NAF12/26972L/CPL, Inalegwu Omikpa and Francis Ochife.
The police said Michael was handed over to them by the Airforce.
Two other Airforce personnel who took part in the operation, the police said, are currently facing disciplinary action.
Items recovered from them include two AK47 rifles, two mobile phones, two magazines and 60 rounds of AK47 ammunitions.
Speaking during their parade yesterday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the Deputy Force Spokesman, Aremu Adeniran, a Superintendent (SP) said the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) directed the Intelligence Response Team to carry out investigation into the attack which occurred last December 12.
Adeniran said: “The principal suspects were arrested in their hideouts. Two police AK47 Rifles carted away from the slain Sergeant and another officer on duty were recovered from a member of the gang in his village at Otukpo, Benue State.”
Narrating how the attack came to fruition, one of the suspects said he was informed by a bike man living around the farm house that money was hidden in a soak way in the farm house.
The suspects said the bike man said he was convinced that there was money there because two policemen were there guarding only one cattle and two sheep.
The suspect, who said the operation was not a robbery, argued that they only went there to get their own share of the national cake.
Michael said Omikpa was responsible for the policeman’s death.
“Omikpa killed the policeman because we left him with the policeman and he later came to join us where we were breaking the soak away. We did not see any money in the farm house. We only left with guns and phones,” he said.
Omikpa said: “What has happened has happened. First of all, I don’t indulge in crime and I am not a robber. I was called by Francis who told money about the money in Magu’s farm house and both of us were contemplating on whistle blowing. I told a Captain friend about it and he said that if it is EFCC that owns the money that they were the same people that control the whistle blowing policy and that we might be in danger if we blow whistle.
“He told me that he knows people that can go there and carry the money and that I will get my share. He assured me that it was not robbery that we were only going to get our share of the national cake since the suffering is too much in the country.
“While we were executing our plan, we received a call that policemen were on their way.”
Omikpa, who denied killing the policeman, said he only heard about the death of a policeman a day after the operation. (The Nation )
