DETAILS of how the remains of a lawyer, Mr Osobase Omo-Iyoha, who was declared missing for over two weeks, were recovered emerged on Wednesday, just as the Edo State Police confirmed the arrest of six persons in the act.
The Edo State Police spokesman, Mr Chidi Nwanbuzor, who disclosed this in Benin City, said that the police had on May 7 received a complaint that Omon-Iyoha, 41 was kidnapped by one Osasu Osadolor Afro and his gang members at Evbuomodu Village, Aduwawa, Benin City.
Nwanbuzor said that on May 19, the kidnap kingpin, Osasu, was arrested along with a black colour Lexus 330 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) marked BEN-374-CU reportedly used in kidnapping the victim.
Continuing, the image-maker said that on May 26, additional three suspects, one Uwadia Taiwo Uhunmwangho, 38, John Oke, 30 and Saturday Imagbe, 40, were arrested with one Audi 80 car marked CA-956-BEN which was also allegedly used in kidnapping the victim.
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According to him, the suspects confessed to beating up the victim and later dropped him somewhere along Old Benin-Auchi Road, Aduwawa, Benin City; while two other gang members, Leonard David, 21 Valentine Dibie, 24 were arrested on June 2, adding that the suspects confessed to conspiracy, kidnapping and murder of the lawyer who they killed and buried in a bush close to his house.
Nwanbuzor, a deputy superintendent of police said that on June, 2, the suspects took the police to a shrine at Aduwawa beside Osasu, the prime suspect’s house, where they buried the body of the lawyer in a shallow grave and his remains were exhumed by pathologists from the Central Hospital Benin City and taken to the same hospital mortuary for autopsy.
The public relations officer of the Benin City branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr Douglas Ogbankwa, who confirmed the recovery of the corpse of Omo-Iyoha, said that the lawyer was abducted while attempting to settle a dispute between a scion of high Chief Nosakhare Osadolor, popularly called Afro and another fellow.
He was reportedly beaten to a pulp and taken away to an unknown destination on May 9 and was not seen till date.
The Benin branch of the association had on May 19 threatened a citizens’ march to demand the arrest of the elder Osadolor for shielding his son and accused the police of complicity in its investigation of the matter.