The Nigeria Police Force has arrested four policemen and one personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, on duty when armed men invaded the residence of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Tuesday.
Although Ekweremadu described the invasion as an assassination attempt, the police has insisted that based on their investigations, it was a burglary attempt.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, said: “The four policemen and one personnel of the NSCDC on duty at the residence of the Deputy Senate President at the time of the incident have been arrested and detained…
“Update on further investigation did not reveal assassination attempt but a burglary attempt.”
He explained that the suspect did not know that the residence was even that of the Deputy Senate President.
The arrested suspect, 25 years old Mohammed Yusuf, also spoke on their mission.
Said he: “We did not go to the residence of Ekweremadu to assassinate him or any body in the house.”
He said he had been stealing for the past five years and that he had not been using gun.
The police spokesman disclosed that efforts were going on to arrest the second suspect in the case, Dan Ali.
Moshood said in order to stem the increase in the crime rate around Apo Legislative quarters the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had directed that Apo legislative quarters outpost be made a divisional police headquarters.
Also to be upgraded, he said, included the outposts at Supreme Court, Kabusa and Trademore Estate.
Meanwhile, governors from the South East of the country have disagreed with the police over the conclusion that the invasion of was a burglary attempt and not an assassination attempt.
Speaking on behalf of others, the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum, David Umahi of Ebonyi State, said the conclusion was arrived at in a haste.
“Our son was almost assassinated and I am sure that our people are not satisfied with the explanation given by the police that it was a mere burglary.
“How would it be burglary when his son was captured in one room and taken to the father to open the door?
“The situation is not good at all as the police should protect his life and that of every leader in the land,” he said on Wednesday.
