Rivers Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared one Gift David Okpara Okpolowu, popularly known as 2Baba, wanted over the gruesome murder of SP Bako Angbashim, the Ahoada Divisional Police Officer (DPO).
The police DPO, who had served at Bori Police Divisional Headquarters in Khana LGA, and restored sanity in the area, was this year deployed to Ahoada communities being terrorized by devil-minded cultists in the move to exterminate the cultists in the area.
Ahoada communities including Odumude, Odumereni, Odemusoma and Ihugbogo, Odieke and others have been at the mercy of cultists, spurring the police to take one of its best, Bako, to the area.
A source in Odumude, where Bako was killed, had on condition of anonymity, revealed that the cultists operating in the area had warned residents not to report any criminal incident in the area to security agencies.
In response, the Governor placed a bounty of N100m on 2Baba, who is the leader of the notorious Iceland cult group, identified as the prime suspect in the matter.
Fubara, in a statement he personally signed on Saturday, further suspended the traditional ruler of Odiemudie community, His Majesty, Eze Cassidy Ikegbidi Eze Igbu Akoh II, for acts of complicity in ceding the control of his territory to 2Baba.
He said: “Yesterday, 8th September 2023 at about 7.00 pm, I was briefed on the security operations around the Odiemudie Community in the Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state and the gruesome murder of SP Bako Angbashim, the Ahoada Divisional Police Officer, by a bunch of criminals, presently at large.
“S.P Bako and his team ran into an ambush while returning from their operation where they were attacked by the criminals. Unfortunately, he was shot in the ensuing gunfire, captured and eventually murdered by his captors.
”Credible intelligence from the security agencies traced the entire incident to one Gift David Okpara Okpolowu (a.k.a. 2-Baba) and his criminal gang, who have established camps in the locality and are responsible for the resurgence of violent crimes, including kidnapping and terrorism in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the State.
“As a responsible Government, we cannot fold our arms and allow criminals and crimes to rear their ugly heads and thrive in any part of our State.
“Accordingly, upon the review of the entire incident and the security situation in the affected areas with the security agencies, we have decided on the following measures to bring the murderers of SP Bako to justice and arrest the deteriorating security situation in the Ahoada East Local Government:
“First, the prime suspects, Mr. Gift David Okpara Okpolowu (a.k.a. 2-Baba) and all members of his criminal gang are hereby declared wanted. Secondly, a bounty of one hundred million (N100,000,000.00) naira is hereby placed on his head for anyone who gives useful information that would lead to his arrest and prosecution.
”Thirdly, His Majesty, Eze Cassidy Ikegbidi Eze Igbu Akoh II, is hereby suspended indefinitely for acts of complicity in ceding control of his territory to the notorious David Gift and his gang to freely operate and carry out their criminal activities”.
