Police nab ‘killers’ of Abuja doctor, 16 others for kidnapping, robbery

The FCT Police Command has arrested three suspects in connection with the murder of an Abuja-based medical doctor, Obisike Donald Ibe, 37, a staff of Zenith Lab and Kidney Center, and his housemate, Ezekiel Edoja, 31, both of Games Village Estate Abuja.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT, CP Babaji Sunday, disclosed this while parading the suspects before journalists, Tuesday at the Command Headquarters in Abuja.

He said the Command also arrested 16 other suspects for various crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism.

The police boss said the suspect: Abdulsalam Ibrahim, 26; and accomplices, Fidelis Ezekiel, 27; and Phillimon Hussaini,  22; were arrested after aggressive manhunt and painstaking investigation.

“The perpetrators of the dastardly act also carted away a vehicle, an envelope containing about $1,000, the mobile phone of the deceased doctor and the ATM card which was used to withdraw money to the tone of N250,000 from the deceased account on December 13, 2022,” he disclosed.

He explained that the suspects upon interrogation confessed to have plotted and committed the offence.

The police boss also disclosed that another suspect, Muhammed Abubakar, 22, was arrested over the alleged murder of one Mohammed Usman, a farmer, while he was working on his farm in the Karu area of the FCT.

According to Babaji, “Abubakar voluntarily confessed in a written statement to have stabbed the deceased and taken flight for fear of apprehension, after a fight had ensued between him and the deceased, resulting in the murder.

“The cutlass used in causing bodily injuries, to the leg of the deceased before stabbing him on the rib was subsequently recovered on a cliff where the suspect had hidden it.

Speaking further he said operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command’s State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) on January 12, 2022, in a covert operation involving the local vigilantes arrested the duo of Shuaib Usman, and Sani Auwal, 25, who had been on the radar of the Police for participating in series of kidnapping.

He said Auwal attempted to recruit a member of the Police intelligence asset deployed on a secret mission while he was trying to regroup his criminal syndicate for an operation leading to his arrest.

He added that the suspect has since confessed in a written statement to have masterminded and successfully executed series of kidnappings as far back as 2017, even as effort was ongoing to apprehend other members of the criminal syndicate.

Similarly, the Command also arrested a security guard at RCC Construction Company, Chimezirim Kingsley, 38, of Dutse Makaranta area Abuja, in connection with the theft of a Black Toyota Camry Car with Reg. No. BDG 356 BH belonging to the company.

Babaji said the vehicle, which was stolen on Jauary 9, 2022, from where it was parked in the company’s premises, was recovered from the suspect. 

The police boss,  who listed exhibit recovered from the suspects, to include, five locally made pistols, 46 unexpended ammunition, three cartridges, one car, Itel phone, one Machete, burglarious metal, and dry leaves suspected to be Indian Hemp, assured that all suspects woild be charged to court as soon as the investigation was concluded.