A 33-year-old father of one, Blessing Volt Gabriel, has been arrested by Delta State Police Command for allegedly killing his 20-month-old son for money ritual.
This was just as the command had a harvest of criminals when it brought down three armed robbery suspects in a gun duel and arrested seven others, while seven locally-made guns and cartridges were recovered.
Making this known in a statement on Sunday, June 26, 2022, the Police Public Relations Officer in the command, DSP Bright Edafe, said that the ritual murder suspect’s wife, 24-year-old Mrs Success Oduwa of Peanuts junction, Obeh in Edo State, reported on Saturday, June 25, at about 10:30am, that she had not seen their child since the morning of the previous day.
This, she said, made her to start troubling her husband on the whereabouts of the child.
The husband reportedly replied her that their son, known as Godspower Gabriel, was with his sister in Warri, Delta State, which made the mother to proceed to the town.
On getting there, she discovered her husband was economical with the truth, raising suspicion and fears.
She was said to have gone to the Commander, Quick Response Squad, and intimated him of her suspicion that the child had been killed their child had been killed by his father for ritual purposes.
According to the PPRO, “the QRS Commander detailed operatives who swung into action, arrested the husband and handed him over to the Divisional Police Officer ‘A’ Division, Warri, for further investigation.
“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to have murdered the said child at Ewabogun bush by Catholic Road, Benin City, using hand saw to cut off the head, and buried it by a palm tree in the bush, after which he threw away the headless body of the child.
“The suspect also stated that he actually killed the child, because of a dream he had, where he saw a man who told him that if he kills the child and use his blood to rub his head, he will become rich.”
Edafe said that the suspect was in police custody, undergoing further interrogation.
Speaking further, DSP Edafe disclosed that on June 23, at about 5am, the Divisional Police Officer, Ozoro Division, acting on a distress call that armed robbers were operating at Etereva Street, Ozoro in Isoko North Local Government Area, mobilized and led a combined team of Police and vigilantes to the scene.
“On arrival, the hoodlums engaged the team in a shootout, during which one of the armed robbers sustained bullet injuries while the others escaped.
“One cut-to-size single barrel gun, two expended cartridges and one laptop, were recovered. The injured suspect later gave up the ghost while receiving treatment at the hospital. Manhunt for the fleeing members of the gang is ongoing,” he said.
A little bit earlier on the same day, at about 4am, while also acting on a distress call that armed robbers were operating along Igbuku Road in Orogun Community, the Divisional Police Officer, Orogun Division, SP Obonoh Ndem, led a team of police and vigilantes to the scene and engaged the armed robbers in a gun duel, during which two of the suspected armed robbers sustained bullet injuries, while one of the suspects, Benedict Agbawara aged 22, of Abbi town, was arrested.
The police image maker said that three locally-made cut-to-size guns, a live cartridge and a motorcycle were recovered.
He added: “The Injured suspects were taken to the hospital where they later died while receiving treatment.”
In another development on June 23, at about 8:15pm, Dragon Patrol Team, while on stop-and-search duty at Oleh roundabout in Isoko South Local Government Area, intercepted a tricycle with registration number EDO EKP 290 QL, conveying three passengers who gave their names as Friday Nosakhare (23), Efe Pius (19) and Okwudili Okorie (30), all of Refinery Road, Warri.
They were said to have been subjected to a search which led to the recovery of a locally-made cut-to-size gun and two live cartridges concealed under the seat of the tricycle.
Also, on June 24, at about 4:35pm, operatives of Dragon Patrol team, while on stop-and-search duty along Eku-Abraka road in Ethiope East Local Government Area, were informed by a lady (name withheld), that she sighted some armed men who robbed her in her Point of Sale (PoS) shop on Sunday, May 29.
This, the PPRO stated, prompted the team into immediate action, leading to the arrest of Jeffrey Osemudiamen, aged 36, of 28, Osazuwa Street, Benin City; Eddy Gabriel (33) and Promise Imade (31), both residing at 14, Paris Street, Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area.
Recovered from them were a locally-made gun, four live cartridges, a walkie-talkie set and four android phones suspected to have been stolen.
He said that investigations were ongoing on all the cases.
