AISHA ABUBAKAR
A 34-year old man, Msughter Orfega, has been arrested for dislodging two Police officers, shooting them dead and taking away their guns during an operation in Benue State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the two Police officers, Inspector Christopher Eigege and Sergeant Sunday Idoko, suffered their fate when they went for routine duty of stop and search with their colleagues on the highway at Ikyogen, Yelwata, and armed hoodlums in their numbers attacked them.
Apart from killing the Police Officers, the suspect and others now at large, carted away their service rifles and escaped before the Police trailed and eventually arrested him.
The suspect, Orfega, has been charged before the Makurdi Chief Magistrates Court for the alleged killing of the two Policemen.
Orfega, who lives at Daudu in Guma Local Government Area of Benue, was charged for criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, culpable homicide and act of terrorism.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mr. Vincent Kor, did not take Orfega’s plea for lack of jurisdiction and adjourned the matter to 1st November, 2022, for further mention.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Inspector Godwin Ato, told the Court that the case was received at the State CID, Makurdi, from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Daudu, on June 28, 2022 via a letter.
Ato said the letter stated that one Inspector Luka John of the of the Benue Command, attached to Yelwata location in Guma, reported the case at the Daudu Police Station, Guma on June 23, 2022.
John alleged that on June 23, 2022, while on Stop-and-Search duty with his colleagues at Ikyogen, Yelwata, armed hoodlums in their numbers attacked them.
The informant stated that the armed hoodlums shot and killed the victims and carted away their service rifles, that he narrowly escaped being killed too by the gang.
Ato said Orfega, who is a member of the gang, was arrested during Police investigation for committing the crime while others were still at large.
The offences, Ato said, contravened the provisions of Sections 6(b)(1)(2)(a)(b) of the Robbery and Firearms Act, 2004, 222 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue, 2004 and 4(2) of the Abduction, Hostage Taking, Kidnapping, Secret Cult and Similar Activities Prohibition Laws of Benue, 2017.
The defendant risks several years imprisonment or life imprisonment if he is tried and found guilty before the Court for murder if the DPP’s advice finds him culpable and recommends his trial for the alleged offence.