Eben Enasco Reporting
Four Police officers attached to the New Benin Divisional Police Headquarters, Edo State, are to face trial over their alleged roles in the murder of a local Vigilante in Benin City.
The victim, a 28-year-old man identified as Ikponmwosa Aikpitanyi was reportedly hit by a gunshot by one of the operatives who were invited on account to rescue an emerging incident of rape at the popular Obazee Street, New Benin upper mission axis.
The police command gave the names of the arrested operatives as Inspector Igere Victor, Sargent Umhenin Stanley, Sargent Okongor Ojong, and Corporal Monday Joel.
The incident was said to have happened on April 22, 2022, at about 11:30 pm.
It was learned that the police operatives were invited to the scene of the incident by a certain Sunday Egboh, who had claimed some miscreants suspected to be cultists were on the verge of sexually assaulting his wife, Rose Sunday.
According to multiple reports, Inspector Igere Victor who led the four-man patrol team arrived on the scene with the expectation of salvaging the already tense atmosphere when an “overzealous” officer fired in the air, perhaps to unnerve the situation when bullets, reportedly hit Ikponmwosa Aikpitanyi leaving him dead on the spot.
Addressing journalists on the incident that led to the alleged murder, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, represented by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Kontongs Bello explained that the four operatives are now cooling off in police detention.
The commissioner of police also informed that the couple Sunday and Rose Egboh who invited the police operatives to a reported rape scene is being detained for an onward questioning of suspected conspiracy and murder.
COMPOL Yaro, while noting that the command will not accept any act of mischief incriminating officers and men of the police operatives that is possible of disrupting the stability in the state, however, assured the public of Justice even as he appealed for serenity.
In the meantime, the Edo State police command says two men are also in its custody for unlawful possession of firearms and secret cult-related offenses.
Kingsley Philip a twenty years old young man is one of the suspects identified by the police to have been arrested during a routine patrol along Ologbosere Street in the Okoro district of Benin City by
a joint police and vigilante team
He was reportedly found with a locally-made cut-to-size gun and one live cartridge, declared a member of a pernicious secret cult in Benin.
He faces likely court charges in the coming days upon completion of the investigation, the police statements noted.