The Divisional Police Officer of Auchi Division, Ayodele Suleiman has been removed by the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Abutu Yaro for allegedly killing a suspect arrested for attacking the convoy of General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministry, Apostle Johnson Suleman.
The suspended DPO is expected to report at the state police command for debriefing.
Jennifer Iwegbu, the state’s police spokesperson, revealed this in a statement on Saturday.
Remember that on Friday, shortly after returning from a vacation to Tanzania, gunmen ambushed Mr. Suleman as he was making his way to an unspecified destination in the Auchi area of Edo State, South-South Nigeria.
In a video clip that he shared on his verified Twitter account on Friday night, Mr. Suleman said that the attack claimed the lives of seven individuals, including three police officers.
“As part of the measures of the command concerning the circumstances that led to the death of the surviving members of the monstrous gang that attacked the convoy of Apostle Johnson Suleman, the outgoing Commissioner of police AIG Abutu Yaro has ordered withdrawal of the DPO of Auchi (Police Station),” the police spokesperson, Ms Iwegbu, said in the statement.
Ms Iwegbu, an assistant superintendent of police, said the DPO’s withdrawal was with immediate effect and that he would be interrogated at the police headquarters over the incident.
The withdrawal of the DPO comes hours after Mr Suleman accused the police of foul play, claiming the gunman was hurriedly killed in order to blur their identities and frustrate investigation.
The police had claimed the attackers were kidnappers and that one of the gunmen was killed during a shoot-out with police operatives.
But the cleric insisted that they were not kidnappers, but assassins.
“Lie…They (gunmen) weren’t kidnappers… He was caught and handed over and the police killed him immediately…Why?” Mr Suleman said in another tweet in response to the claim by the police.
“Why killing him on the spot? Who is trying to cover up traces?”
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