PRESS BRIEFING
INVESTIGATION UPDATE INTO THE CASE OF BURGLARY (HOUSE BREAKING AT NIGHT TIME) AND ATTEMPT TO COMMIT ROBBERY IN THE RESIDENCE OF DEPUTY SENATE PRESIDENT, SENATOR IKE EKWEREMADU BY THE FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, Ag. DCP JIMOH MOSHOOD AT THE FORCE HEADQUARTERS, ABUJA.
7th NOVEMBER, 2018.
- The Inspector General of Police has directed the upgrade of the APO Legislative quarters Police post which was hitherto under the control of National Assembly Division to a Divisional Police Headquarters to be manned by a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Other Divisions created by the Inspector General of Police include, a Divisional Police Headquarters for the Supreme Court, Divisional Police Headquarters at Kabusa, Divisional Police Headquarters at Galadimawa, Divisional Police Headquarters at Trademore Estate. This is done to reduce crime and criminalities in the affected areas and improve Police visibility in the Federal capital Territory.
UPDATE ON A CASE OF BURGLARY (HOUSE BREAKING AT NIGHT TIME) AND ATTEMPT TO COMMIT ROBBERY IN THE RESIDENCE OF DEPUTY SENATE PRESIDENT, SENATOR IKE EKWEREMADU
SUSPECTS
- Mohammed Yusuf (of no fixed address) but a native of Kauranamuda, Zamfara State (Arrested and in Police custody)
- One Ali (other name unknown) at large and wanted by the Police
EXHIBITS
(i) Motor Jack
(ii) Big Screw Driver
(iii) A big Rod that broke out from the window of the kitchen to the house
(iv) A Black Small Touch Light
(v) A small kitchen knife from the residence picked at the scene.
SECTION 4 OF THE POLICE ACT specifies the general duties of the Nigeria Police Force as follows: The police shall be employed for the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged, and shall perform such military duties within or outside Nigeria as may be required of them by or under the authority of this or any other Act.
I hereby wish to brief you further on the update of Police investigation in respect of the above mentioned case. It will be recalled that the residence of Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu on No 2, Jim Nwobodo Street, APO Legislative Quarters was broken into by Mohammed Yusuf of Kauranamuda, Zamfara State, who was arrested at the scene and now in Police custody along with one Ali (other name unknown) who escaped from the scene at about 0430hrs of today, 6th November, 2018.
- Police further investigation into the crime and the interrogation of the principal suspect, Mohammed Yusuf of Kauranamuda who volunteered confessional statement admitting to the crime and mentioned one Ali (other name unknown) now at large, who escaped from the scene to have carried out the crime along with him revealed that the suspects have no knowledge that the house belong to the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and were not armed with any firearm or lethal weapon during the burglary (house breaking at night time) and attempt to commit robbery in the residence of Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu but with the following exhibits which were recovered from them (i) Motor Jack (ii) Big Screw Driver (iii) A big Rod that broke out from the window of the kitchen to the house (iv) A Black Small Touch Light (v) A small kitchen knife from the residence picked at the scene.
- Update on further investigation carried out so far did not reveal assasination attempt on the life of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his family but a case of burglary (house breaking at night time) and attempt to commit robbery in the residence of Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
- For avoidance of doubt, Sections 346 and 347 of the Penal Code Law are explicit on the ingredients and facts to prove house breaking and house breaking at night as follows:
Sections 346: A person is said to commit house breaking who commits house trespass if he effects his entrance into the house or any part of it or if being in the house or any part of it for the purpose of committing an offence or having committed an offence therein, he quit the house or any part of it any of such six ways, that is to say
(i) If he enters or quits through a passage made by himself or any abettor of the house trespass in order to commit the house trespass
(ii) If he enters or quits through any passage not intended by any person other than himself or an abettor of the offence, for human entrance or through any passage to which he has obtained access by scaling or climbing over the wall or building
(iii) If he enters or quits through any passage which he or any abettor of the house trespass has opened in order to commit the house trespass by any means by which that passage was not intended by the occupier of the house to be opened
(iv) If he enters or quits by opening any lock in order to commit the house trespass or in order to quit the house after a house trespass
(v) If he effects his entrance or departure by using criminal force or committing an assault or by threatening any person with assault
(vi) If he enters or quits by any passage which he knows to have been fastened against such entrance or departure and to have been unfastened by himself or by an abettor of the house trespass
Sections 347: whoever commits house breaking between sunset and sunrise is said to have commit house breaking by night.
- Consequent on the above, it is evident that nothing is an offence except what the law stipulates to be an offence. The further investigation has taken the Police to revisit the scene of crime along with the suspect who explained and showed the Police investigators and recorded in camera of how the crime “burglary (house breaking at night time) and attempt to commit robbery in the residence of Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu” was committed.
- The Son to the Deputy Senate President, Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu who was the person intercepted by the suspects in the residence has made voluntary statement to the Police describing how he took the suspects to knock on his father’s room instead of his own room as demanded by the suspects. Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu gave the suspects the impression that it was his wife that is in the room he was knocking. “honey open the door” “it is me junior and I am here with some men and I’m at gun point, the point was to give his parent a lead up that something was going wrong” before his father now open the door and the intruder were taken off guard and I proceeded to grab the principal suspect (now in custody). In this process, one of the two (2) suspects Mohammed Yusuf was over powered and arrested while the second suspect One Ali (other name unknown) now at large escaped. The house breaking implements mentioned above were recovered from them.
- Investigation is still ongoing and effort is being intensified to arrest the other suspect at large. The same suspects had earlier at about 0300Hrs of same date broken into the residence of one Mr. Haliru Adamu of No. 38 Denis Osadebey Crescent, APO Legislative quarters where they stole phones, jewelleries and other valuables before proceeding to the residence of the Deputy Senate President. Mr. Haliru Adamu have made statements to the Police about the incident.
- There was no any cover-up by the Police in the investigation of the crime that occurred in the residence of the Deputy Senate President. The Four (4) Police personnel and One (1) personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps on duty at the residence of the Deputy Senate President at the time of the incidence have been arrested and are still in detention and being investigated for negligent acts and dereliction of duty. It is also not correct that Police responded after seven (7) hours, the residence of the Deputy Senate President share fence with the APO Legislative quarters Police post.
- The Inspector General of Police has directed the upgrade of the APO Legislative quarters Police post which was hitherto under the control of National Assembly Division to a Divisional Police Headquarters to be manned by a Divisional Police Officer (DPO). Other Divisions created by the Inspector General of Police include, a Divisional Police Headquarters for the Supreme Court, Divisional Police Headquarters at Kabusa, Divisional Police Headquarters at Galadimawa, Divisional Police Headquarters at Trademore Estate. This is done to reduce crime and criminalities in the affected areas and improve Police visibility in the Federal capital Territory.
- The Nigeria Police Force calls for patience and understanding from the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and the Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria to allow the Police to carry out a thorough and discreet investigation into the incident and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Ag. DCP JIMOH MOSHOOD
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA
