The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Edo Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, has cleared the air over the appearance in court of the eight suspects alleged to have attacked the Igueben train station and abducted some passengers on January 7, 2023.
Nwabuzor said that the essence of taking the suspects to court was to follow the judicial process of obtaining the extension of the exparte order to empower the police to keep the suspects for another fourteen days.
He explained that the Exparte Order is “an order of the court that enables the Police investigators to extend the detention of a suspect(s) for 14 days to enable them to meet with exegesis.”
In a copy of pleadings signed by Barr. I. E. Ekibade on behalf of the legal section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), the suspects, all males, who conspired within themselves to commit a felony by wit are in police custody.
According to the document, the suspects, who conspired to kidnap the victims with the expectation of getting N20 million from their relatives as a ransom for their freedom are; Ighoko Mustapher Odion, 62, Okojie Dominic Ewa, 58, Ojie Patrick, 42, Friday Ighedujiemu, 51, Chief Ibadin Hamilton,59, Halilu Umaru, 28, Aminu Ibrahim, 25 and Isah Aliyu, 25.
The document stated that the state Commissioner of police who is the complainant in the case filed and prayed the court to serve justice to the eight suspects because they have committed an offence punishable under the Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law of the state.” The document revealed that the two count-charge slammed against the suspects contravened Section 5 and is punishable under Section 2 (1) (2) of the Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law of Edo State, 2013.
