The alleged killer of the President General of Nimo, Njikoka Local Government Area, Chief Frank Anthony Igboka, was paraded by the Commissioner of Police for Anambra State, Mustapha Dandaura.
The 27-year-old suspect, Chigbo Aniegbu, a.k.a Transformer, during an interview with journalists denied being the killer of the late PG but confessed to being in company of the gang of four that shot and killed the ex-lawmaker.
The suspect, who is from Abba village in Nimo and a neighbour to late Igboka, said that the PG was killed because he banished his cult members from the community and warned them never to return until they turned a new leaf.
According to him, he was not in the know of where his gang members were headed to on the night of the attack as he was only called up to join them for an operation.
“I was called by Obinna to join them for an operation and I told them to pick me up at Oye, which they did. I didn’t know the operation was at Nimo until when we saw Igboka stop his car to buy something. They ordered the driver to stop and we came down.
“It was Obinna that shot and killed him. I did not shoot him. I don’t have any issues with him, he is my neighbour.”
But News Express learnt from some indigenes of the town who came to see the culprit during the police parade that the suspect has been a thorn in the flesh of the community.
A middle-aged man who pleaded anonymity accused the suspect of being the killer of Igboka.
He said: “I was with Igboka the night he was killed but I dropped off shortly before I started hearing gun shots, only to hear later that it was my friend, Mmili, that was shot and killed. I am seriously pained.”
The suspect was also said to have killed a twin in the community during a rival cult clash.
Information has it that he mistook the twin for his twin brother, shot in the head and ran away from the community but when he questioned on that, he denied it saying he has never shot anyone before.
While confessing to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity, he said he ignorantly joined the gang without knowing that the operation involved the killing of Igboka.
He added: “That was why I was speechless when they started shooting the man.
“The only mistake I made was entering the vehicle without confirming exactly where they were headed.”
Addressing journalists earlier before the parade of Igboka’s suspected killer, the CP said that the State Governor, Willie Obiano, has increased the cash reward of N5m earlier promised to anybody with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects.
He said the increment of N15m followed the arrest of the kingpin who hails from the same community as the slain Igboka.
He said three of the members of the gang were at still large, adding that efforts were being made to track them adding that the breakdown of the N15m is N5 for information that would lead to the arrest of each of the three remaining suspects.
He gave their names as Smart whose surname is unknown, an indigene of Ukpor in Nnewi South LGA, Chukwunonso, alias Nwasami, from Aguleri ,and Obinna Okafor, an indigene of Onitsha.
Dandaura while commending officers for living up to their especially in the month of April expressed joy at the increment, saying that the Command will not rest on its oars until the runaway suspects were nabbed.
His words: “I’m happy to announce that His Excellency has increased the price for anybody who can lead the police to the arrest of the remaining three suspects to N5 million each.
“It would be recalled that on the 16th of April, 2019 at about 8.18pm, the President General Nimo community one Chief Frank Anthony Igboka was shot and murdered by gunmen around Nimo market in Njikoka LGA of Anambra State.
“Following the incident, the Command under my watch launched an aggressive manhunt of perpetrators of this dastardly act which led to the arrest of the main kingpin one Chigbo Aniegbu aka Transformer, aged 27 years of Abba, Nimo in connection with the murder of the late President General.
“Other gang members are at large and effort is being intensified to apprehend them”
The CP disclosed that a total of 264 suspects were arrested in April out of which 231 were cultists.
