Police Arrest Killers of UNIBEN Professor

By Lucky Isibor

Less than seventy two hours of assumption of duty by a new police commissioner in Edo state, the state police command has recorded major breakthroughs in prevention and detection of crime.

One of such feat is the arrest of a gang of criminals who allegedly killed Prof. Paul Otasowie, a lecturer in the University of Benin.

This was disclosed Wednesday by Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Johnson Babatunde Kokumo while briefing news men in his maiden press briefing at the state command headquarters in Benin City.

The police commissioner also said a gang of kidnappers which specializes in kidnapping prominent Edo indigenes were arrested last Monday as they were about embarking on an operation to kidnap a prominent Edo man.

CP Kokumo said before his arrival in Benin on Monday two suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of Prof. Otasowie adding that since his arrival five additional suspects have been arrested and the phone of the deceased recovered.

“Before my assumption of duty on Monday two suspects have been arrested in connection with the matter. And between Monday and now that I assumed duty we have been able to effect the arrest of five additional suspects.

“From these suspects, the telephone belonging to the said professor has been recovered from one of the suspects and a family member has identified the phone as being that of the late professor.

“Between Monday and now, a syndicate that specializes in robbing petrol stations have been bursted as they have made confessions”, CP Kokumo said.

“It will also interest you to note that we have also bursted a syndicate of kidnappers known for kidnapping prominent people who were out to kidnap a prominent citizen of the state.”

The commissioner of police who disclosed the readiness of the command to partner traditional rulers, market women, religious leaders, professional bodies such as the NUJ, NBA, NMA and synergize with other security agencies with a view to gather useful information to enhance the policing of the state stated that he has zero tolerance for corruption.

“We are going to partner with community and our partnership with community will be in three phases. We will partner with traditional rulers, we will partner with religious leaders, we will partner with market women,we will partner with professional bodies like NUT, NUJ, NBA, NMA and other professional groups.

While emphasising that nobody should pay any police officer to perform his statutory duty, CP Kokumo said: “Edo state Police Command under my leadership will have zero tolerance for corruption. We will not tolerate a situation where the good people of Edo state will go to a police formation and cannot secure the release of a suspect on bail without parting with money.

“Any police station visited by any lawyer or any other person for that matter and asked to bring money before the police will perform their statutory duty, I want such incidents to be reported to me”.

The police commissioner further assured that human rights will be respected adding that all officers and men of the command will civil in their line of duties. About 53 suspects arrested for various offence were paraded by the command.