25-year-old Destiny Agbaijoh, a suspected killer, arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ondo State, has disclosed that he would die if he divulged his mission and the identity of his sponsors.
Recall that The Trumpet had earlier reported that Destiny was arrested with one AK-47, one pump action, 91 bullets of 5.56 mm, 16 cartridges and cash of N347,000.
Destiny, who said he was a timber trader, stated this after he was paraded in Akure, the state capital. He said he did not take the bag which contained an AK-47, one pump action, 91 bullets of 5.56 mm, 16 cartridges and cash of N347,000 to the Police station because he never knew it would bring problems for him.
“I saw it in a bush in the place where I am working. I saw it in a nylon bag they used to wrap it and I carried it to my village. I didn’t know it would cause me problems. I was coming from Bayelsa State and was going to my home town after Agadagba, in Ese-Odo Council area of Ondo State. The money is my own and it was from my timber business.”
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The State Commandant of the NDLEA, Mr Kayode Raji, while parading the suspect, said the suspect was arrested during a stop and search operation along Ore-Okitipupa Road. Raji added that the suspect tried to bribe his men on duty with the cash found on him, which his men rejected and took him into custody.
According to him, “the suspect was arrested on 20th of July, along Ore-Okitipupa Road by our men on stop and search operation. Upon search, he was found with various arms and ammunition of various kinds.
“He was also arrested with strap bags and we asked him what it was used for, he said he would die if he confessed it. It looks like bags where they keep dead bodies or mangled bodies of human beings. We have done our preliminary investigation and we are going to hand him over to the Nigerian Police.”
NSCDC, Navy pledge synergy in fight against economic saboteurs
By Chris Ezeonoh, Port Harcourt
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) and Nigerian Navy have pledged collaboration in the fight against crime and illegal oil dealings in Rivers State.
The two security agencies came up with this at a strategic meeting between the State Commandant of NSCDC, Michael Besong Ogar and Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder Port Harcourt; Commodore SD Ibrahim at the naval command headquarters in Port Harcourt at the weekend.
According to Ogar, the meeting was premised on the need to cement the long-term existing relationship with the Nigerian Navy which he said remains a critical partner in the fight against illegal dealings in petroleum products across the coastal region.
Commandant Ogar noted that from the series of arrests made by the Command and cases handed over for prosecution by the NNS Pathfinder, the NSCDC Rivers State Command through her Legal Department has gotten forfeitures of 39 boats and proceeds remitted to the Federal Government coffers.
He further noted that11 suspects had been convicted for illegal oil bunkering activities, vandalism of oil pipelines, conspiracy and economic sabotage while 30 suspects are currently being arraigned in court.
While extolling the outstanding role of the Nigerian Navy and the level of relationship with the NSCDC; Commandant Michael Ogar solicited for a more robust synergy especially in the areas of training and retraining of personnel, sharing of intelligence before, during and after tactical operations to enhance the war against criminally minded persons sabotaging the nation’s economy through illegal oil bunkering activities in Rivers State.
On his part, the Commander Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder Port Harcourt; Commodore SD Ibrahim called for a concerted effort by the security agencies and all critical stakeholders in the fight against illegal oil bunkering in Rivers State which he said had overtime erupted into environmental degradation, health hazards and pollution of the Marine life.
He maintained that the war against vandals would not be limited to arrests of suspects on the waterways alone but also extended to their sponsors and potential buyers of the products noting that with thorough investigation the prosecuting agencies must dig deep into such cases to unravel the numerous actors behind the crime.
Commodore Ibrahim assured that his command would give maximum support to the NSCDC Rivers State Command in capacity building for effective service delivery, intelligence gathering, joint operations and unrelenting war against pipeline vandalism in order to rid the nation’s economy of saboteurs.
