Why we attacked Omoku, killed worshippers, by suspect

Posted by admin Headlines, Rivers, State News Saturday, January 13th, 2018

Another suspect in the Omoku killings in Rivers State, Desmond Okotubo, has given reasons for their attack in which over 20 worshippers lost their lives on New Year day.

When paraded yesterday by the police high command, Okotubo, a 32-year old and a father of three who hails from Egbenma in Unelga Local Government Area of Rivers State, told journalists that the arrest of the mother of their leader, Don Waney and the destruction of his mansions informed the attack in Omoku.

He revealed that their plan to invade Omoku was concluded in Owerri, Imo State. He said the Omoku vigilante group members were their original targets and not the church worshippers. Okotubo disclosed that the decision to vent their anger on the worshippers came when they could not track down the vigilante group members, whom he said were instrumental to the arrest of Waney’s mother and identification of his mansions for destruction by the government.

“We followed Waney and he had a group to which he gave guns to shoot. I did not hold any gun and I don’t know about it, but he has a group called Red Squad. “Those Red Squad members are from Imo and Rivers states and they are the ones that shoot and kill. I know those that shot and killed those people. I know many people that belong to the party.

“I followed them during the killing. When Waney got back, he stopped at Awara in Imo State. It was there everybody assembled before going to Omoku. I followed them to Omoku but they did not give me gun.”Waney had a problem with the vigilante group because they arrested his mother and also destroyed his house. That is why he came back to revenge and killed those people at Omoku,” the suspect revealed.

Okotubo said he was living in Mpape, a suburb in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), before he was arrested by the police. He said he was never given any money at the end of the operation.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood said the IGP-Intelligence Response Team attached to the Joint Police Special Investigation Team engaged some of the suspects in their hideouts in Awara forest boundary between Imo and Rivers states.

The shoot out which lasted for several hours resulted in the death of six of the suspects while others escaped with bullet wound. Police teams are currently on their trail.

“The IGP team working on an actionable intelligence further identified Okotubo who escaped on the 3rd January, 2018 to Abuja after a shoot out with the police team in a location in Imo State. He was trailed to Mpape in Abuja where he was arrested after serious resistance on the 9th January, 2018,” Moshood said.According to him, Okotubo confessed to being a member of the gang and actively participated in the killings.

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