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Assassination bid: Police probe was poor � Akunyili
Tobi Soniyi, Abuja
Less than a week after the Oyo State government and the police traded blame over investigations into the murder of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Dr. Dora Akunyili, has launched a fresh attack on the force.
Akunyili, in her proof of evidence filed with the charge sheet at the Abuja High Court on Monday for the prosecution of the eight suspects who attempted to kill her last December, said that police investigations into the case were unprofessional.
She said, �Police handling of the case after it was reported to them was very shoddy.
�They released information and names of informants to the suspects at will and allowed those arrested to use their mobile phones with which they communicated with those yet to be arrested.
�They delayed in arresting the two suspected hit men used by the Nnakwes and allowed the boys and their wives to run away. They delayed in searching the suspects� houses, thereby allowing them to remove or arrange the removal of vital documents and exhibits that would have otherwise been found in the houses of the accused persons.�
It would be recalled that at a point, President Olusegun Obasanjo asked the State Security Service to take over investigations into the case.
However, the trial of the eight suspects could not commence on Monday due to controversy on whether their plea could be taken in the absence of legal representations.
Three of them were not represented in court, while one of them was said to be at large.
Arguments ensued when the prosecutor, Mr. Seeni Okunloye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, observed that lawyers did not represent some of the accused.
Okunloye noted that because of the nature of the offences for which the accused persons were charged, a lawyer must represent each of them.
But the defence team countered that the plea of the accused could be taken despite the fact that some of them were not represented by lawyers.
The trial judge, Justice Ishaq Bello, asked the lawyers to address him on the issue and consequently adjourned till November 17 for ruling.
Those charged are Francis Okoye, (a.k.a. Ebubedike); Emmanuel Nnamdi Nnakwe (a.k.a. Aboy); Marcel Nnakwe; Emeka Orjiakor; and Christopher Okwara Mbah (a.k.a. Persus).
Others are Olisaemeka Igbokwe (a.k.a. Holy War); Chukuka Ezeukwu (at large); and Jude Ugwu (a.k.a. Agada).
The suspects were said to have agreed at different places in Abuja and Anambra State to do an illegal act to wit: cause the death of Akunyili, thereby committing an offence punishable under section 97 of the Penal Code.
The second charge was that if they had succeeded in killing the NAFDAC chief, they would have been guilty of culpable homicide, an offence punishable with death.
In another charge, the suspects were said to have caused the death of one Emeka Onuekutu while attempting to kill Akunyili.
According to the charge, the gunshots aimed at Akunyili missed target but hit Onuekutu.
A report by an SSS official, simply referred to as Ojobo, which is part of the proof of evidence before the court, read in part:
�I am the ADS OPS of the SSS. On January 29, 2004, the Nigeria Police Force handed over the original case file with some exhibits alongside 17 suspects to the SSS on the attempted murder of DG of NAFDAC.
�I was assigned the principal duty of scooping out those behind the assassination attempt.
�Against the backdrop of the above, investigation was predicated on the following:
a. Establish the masterminds of the attempted assassination, where and how the attack was carried out; and
b. Verify the claims by informants/contacts who alerted the DG NAFDAC about the planned assassination.
�In the course of my interview and interrogations, it was confirmed that one Anene Maduka, a pharmacist and consultant to NAFDAC, had information from undisclosed sources about a planned attack on the DG, NAFDAC.
�This information was passed to the DG, NAFDAC, consequent upon which it was resolved that she would not travel to the South-East for Christmas and other functions.
�However, it was discovered that the information forwarded to the DG, NAFDAC by Maduka was not taken seriously, thereby giving the assassins an opportunity to strike.
�Level of involvement of some of the suspects.
(1) Marcel Nnakwe - Investigation revealed that he is one of the fake drug dealers who suffered great losses when NAFDAC incinerated their drugs in 2001 with his losses estimated at about N1.4 million.
�He was made to tender public apology to Nigerians; this public apology was likely to have hurt his personality and could have prompted him to plan against the DG, NAFDAC.
�It was also discovered that he was in Orlu, Imo State for Christmas and New Year and therefore took advantage of the period to organise the attack on the DG, NAFDAC.
�His antecedent gave him out as somebody who kills anybody that dares him
2. F.C.OKOYE (Ebubedike)
Investigations revealed that he is the Chairman of OPPMDU engaged in employing thugs to fight and kill anybody who will arrest them in the bid to fight against fake drugs.
(3) NNAMDI E. NNAKWE:
�As an indigene of Orlu, he was aware of the conferment of chieftaincy title on Ebere, an occasion, which Akunyili was billed to attend. He used that opportunity to attack her. He is known to be a very mean person who requires no assistance to eliminate his perceived enemies.
(4) Emeka Orjiakor
�In the course of interviewing witnesses, one Emeka Anosike volunteered a statement to the effect that when he went to Orjiakor�s shop sometime in September 2003 to buy Chloroquine, he (Anosike) discovered that the Chloroquine in the shop did not bear NAFDAC registration number and drew Orjiakor attention to it.
�Anosike further stated in his statement that Orjiakor in his response assured him not to border about the absence of NAFDAC registration number, because according to Orjiakor, the NAFDAC woman was to be dealt with before the end of 2003.
�Also, another witness, Abuchi Obidike, in his statement confessed that one of those he (Obidike) met in connection with plans to eliminate the D.G, NAFDAC was popularly known as OKOSISI� (Emeka Orjiakor).
�I also confirmed from the Special Anti-robbery Squad the statement made by Abuchi Obidike that some of the persons that attacked the D.G, NAFDAC were arrested in the course of an armed robbery attack and they made confessional statements after which some of them were shot dead.�
When our correspondent sought the reaction of the police, the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chris Olakpe, demanded for a copy of the proof of evidence.
By the time the copy was taken to his office, his aide said that he was having a meeting with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun.
As at press time, the police reaction was still being awaited.
The PUNCH, Tuesday, November 2, 2004.
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