Commendable : Nigerian Police Solve The Riddle of Mysterious Disappearance of NNPC Staff, Suspect Arrested (PHOTO OF REMAINS)

 

The Nigeria Police Force informs it has successfully resolved the riddle surrounding the sudden and hitherto unexplained disappearance of Mr. Sylvester Emefiele (in the photo), an employee of the Transformation Office of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

According to the statement by police spokesperson, Frank Mba, two men were arrested: 30-year-old Timothy Abidemi Lekan, alias Leksit, and 41-year-old Akinlade Taiwo.

Also under arrest is a witch-doctor, Saidi Babatunde from Osun State, who was implicated by the suspects for preparing criminal charms for them.

“On receiving this complaint through the Police e-mail platform – policemonitor@npf.gov.ng, the Inspector-General of Police promptly ordered a discreet and comprehensive investigation into the case.

“Subsequently, detectives from the FSARS led by DCP Chris Ezike swung into action, and through systematic and high-level investigative technique, tracked down one Olaniyi Banjo, a 20-year old resident of Ilesa, Osun State, who bought the Blackberry phone of the deceased from one of the principal suspects, Akindele Taiwo. The sustained surveillance and investigative efforts of the police led to the arrest of the masterminds of the crime on 8thJune, 2013,” the statement said.

The police further said that Lekan and Taiwo (in the photo below) made very useful statements in connection with the disappearance, robbery and killing of Mr. Emefiele.

The suspects equally led detectives to the scene of crime, a bush close to the Iddo Campus of the University of Abuja, where the abandoned and totally decomposed remains of the deceased, now mere skeletal parts, were recovered.

 

Police detectives collecting samples at scene of crime

“A detailed forensic examination including DNA analysis has confirmed that the recovered remains were actually those of Mr. Sylvester Emefiele. Other personal effects of the deceased, including cash, ATM cards, Laptop, Blackberry phones, cheque books, personal apparels, etc were also recovered,” the statement said.

The investigation revealed that on his way from Lagos to Abuja, the late Emefiele, in Giri, Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT boarded a Nissan Sunny Saloon Car driven by Taiwo who further picked his accomplice, Lekan, on September 23, 2012, at about 8 p.m.

The unsuspecting passenger was subsequently subdued, led to the bush, and robbed.

“The suspects confirmed that they had earlier forced the deceased to disclose the Personal Identification Number of all his ATM cards which enabled them to make an initial withdrawal of N186,000 from his Zenith Bank, First Bank and GT-Bank accounts at Gwagwalada.

“On seeing that their victim still had an outstanding balance of over eight hundred thousand naira (N800,000.00), the robbers chose to kill Mr. Sylvester Emefiele by binding his wrists with twine and hitting his chest with their Talisman and other dangerous weapons until they were sure that their victim’s life had fizzled out.

“Thereafter, they continued making illicit withdrawals from the victim’s accounts until they were apprehended by the Police,” the statement revealed.

The Inspector-General of Police commended the policemen, urged public to be wary of the kind of vehicles they enter in order to avoid falling victim to hoodlums.  He also promised increased visibility of the Police on Nigeria’s highways through intensive vehicular patrols, especially at nights.