Men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Force Headquarters Abuja, have at last arrested Mr. Sunday Okoro, (AKA G1). Okoro, a notorious criminal and hatchet man to Mr. Sunday Igbuya, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, was wanted for allegedly shooting at SARS operatives, wanted to arrest him last week in Sapele, Delta state.
SaharaReporters reliably learned that Okoro, leader of the dreaded White Ladder cult group used during the 2015 general elections by Igbuya, was arrested at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Thursday in the company of one Mr. Dakum, a lawyer hired by the Speaker.
A senior police officer in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Delta State Police Command, who confirmed Okoro's arrest, told SaharaReporters that Igbuya sent a team led by one Dakum, the lawyer, to bribe the team of detectives on Okoro's trail to sweep the matter involving the hatchet man under the carpet.
According to the police officer, the team sent by Igbuya had discussions with the detectives, who demanded that the team should produce the wanted cult leader before the issues could be resolved amicably.
"After the assurances given to the lawyer and other persons sent by the speaker to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, they left to fetch the cult leader. "On their return to the Force Headquarters on Thursday, the cult leader was immediately arrested and thrown into the cell to the surprise of the speaker's emissaries, including the lawyer. "Immediately he was arrested, his statement was taken, and the emissaries left to brief the speaker." said the police source.
The source also told SaharaReporters that after the Speaker was informed, he gave N3million to his emissaries, instructing them was to return to the Force Headquarters to bribe the detectives to release Okoro. However, he said he could not confirm whether Okoro was released or not.
But a Delta State-based human rights lawyer, who is familiar with the matter, confided in SaharaReporters that Okoro was granted an administrative bail after the receipt of the N3million bribe sent by the Speaker.
"I can tell you that Mr. Okoro has been released after the intervention of the Speaker.
"Everybody in Sapele knows that Mr. Okoro is the Speaker's hitman, and we know what he used the boy for during the 2015 general elections.
"It really baffles me that a speaker will provide N3million to bribe the police and secure the bail of a criminal," the human rights lawyer lamented.
"Everybody in Sapele knows that Mr. Okoro is the Speaker's hitman, and we know what he used the boy for during the 2015 general elections.
"It really baffles me that a speaker will provide N3million to bribe the police and secure the bail of a criminal," the human rights lawyer lamented.
Okoro, the hatchet man, is already standing trial for alleged cultism-related crimes before a Sapele at a Magistrate's Court. Earlier this year, about 50 youths from Okirighwre Community in Sapele Local Government Area had protested and accused the Speaker of working with the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to release members of the killer cult group he using for political purposes.
In August 2015, youths from the area went to the Delta State Ministry of Justice in Asaba, where they protested against Igbuya's use of cultists and accused the DPP and some officials of the Ministry of receiving a N5 million bribe from the Speaker to free the arrested cult members, including Okoro, whose case file charge number is MS 193C.
As at the time of filing this report, all calls made, and messages sent to Igbuya's mobile line were ignored.