Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri
Insecurity continued to rise in Imo state, as gunmen on Wednesday shot and killed a police sergeant, Loveday Obilonu.
Obilonu, attatched to the Department of operations of the state police command headquarters in Owerri, was shot dead at Okwuuratta Road, of Chukwuma Nwoha Road, Owerri, the state capital.
His corpse was evacuated to Aladinma morgue in Owerri by his elder cousin, Val Okara, with the aid of the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Orji Divisional Police Headquarters.
His corpse was lying inside the gutter as of the time his cousin and police operatives arrived with an ambulance and evacuated him.
His cousin, Val Okara, who spoke to our correspondent, said that the death of his relative was suspicious.
Okara, a Journalist, told our correspondent that the slain cop’s two phones had been taken to his wife.
He said that he suspected that Obilonu was assassinated, urging the police to investigate the murder incident, painstakingly.
The distraught Journalist said” I suspect that my younger cousin was assassinated because no less than five bullets were released on his head. He was shot dead inside the gutter, raising suspection that it might be an assassination. The police should do a thorough investigation.
“He was my very beloved cousin. He was married with four children and I am pained about his death because he left a very young family. I am hs marriage godfather.He had a very loving wife and I do not know what his wife and children will do now. This is indeed very regrettable.”
The trumatised relative added” an unexpended bullet was found inside the gutter where his corpse was lying. There is every suspicion that it was a murder incident. The murder case has been incidented at the Orji Divisional Police headquarters.”
When contacted, the police Spokesperson in the state, Bala Elkana, said he had not been briefed. He promised to get back to our correspondent, but he was yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
