Chuks Okebata: Police Arrest Killers Of US Army Veteran

Operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, have apprehended a seven-member notorious kidnapping gang that killed an American Soldier in Okigwe area of Imo State in 2017.

The deceased, a Nigerian who was serving in the US army and identified as Chuks Okebata, was holidaying in Okigwe when he was abducted and killed. Read initial story here.

The suspects, Sunday Igwe, alias School Boy, Michael Ahmefula, Oyebuchi Echefule, Ndubusi Isaac, Victor Dagogo, Chima Okoro and John Edet were arrested last week.

In their confessional statement to the police, the suspects admitted being members of a deadly armed robbery and kidnapping gang terrorizing Imo, Abia and Rivers States. Their leader, School-Boy, said that they never knew that the deceased was an American soldier and that they never planned to kill him.

“He tried to disarm me and in the process was killed. If we had not killed him, he would have killed us. He is strong with tough muscles and the only way to save our lives was to kill him.

We bundled him into the boot of our operational vehicle after he was kidnapped. We didn’t know who he was. While we were heading to our camp where we hope to keep him until ransom is paid. He pulled out his gun and started shooting at us from the boot and the bullet hit me on the leg and the driver on his hand.

Realizing the danger I asked our driver to stop the vehicle. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt we disarmed him. He was killed right there on the spot. We dumped his body inside a gutter and left. I want everyone to understand that I have no intention of killing him but he forced us into doing it,” he stated.