It was wide jubilation at the Moscow Road office headquarters of the Rivers Police command Monday afternoon when Ifeanyi Dike, the 23-year old undergraduate who confessed to the rape, murder and mutilation of 8-year old Chikamso Victory was paraded by the State Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Zaki.
Dike who was rearrested in Jos, Plateau State after he escaped from the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department CID about three weeks ago was paraded before the crowd of journalists, policemen and other people who trouped to the police headquarters to catch a glimpse of him.
The crowd made it very difficult for journalists to do their job as they were struggling for space to see him and get his pictures.
Addressing pressmen, the CP, Ahmed Zaki, who was visibly elated about the re-arrest assured the public that “justice will not only be done
but be seen to have been done in the circumstance to bring the full weight of the law to bear on him or any other person implicated in the course of further investigation.”
Father of Late Chikamso Victory, Dr Ernest Nmezuwuba also expressed happiness that Dike had been recaptured and called for speedy trial while warning the police to ensure that he does not escape again.
He said; “The game plan did not work. I was the one that even called the DCP when SARS called from Jos. I gave the name of the person (SARS operative) that called before they began to make moves. They had to take Ifeanyi Dike’s photograph in Jos, sent it to him (DCP) and forwarded it to me.
I want the police to do a thorough investigation because in Ifeanyi’s statement, he said he was sent by a person and the person is in police custody now. The person is Ugochukwu. In all Ifeanyi’s statement, he is the one he mentioned. The evidence is there and the DPO that has been making calls; all his calls are intact (recorded).
It is not only Ifeanyi; a lot of things are coming. Whoever feels that what happened is okay with him, let him feel it too. What I need is justice. All those involved in this crime should be arrested. I thank God. This (rearrest of Ifeanyi Dike) is the work of God”.
Also speaking the suspected ritual murderer, Ifeanyi Dike told journalists how he was rearrested; “When I got to Jos, due to my injuries, I was not able to go out and get better food to eat. I stayed for several days without food. When I decided to go out and get some food, I was caught. They (policemen) were interrogating and because I was fed up and decided to give them my aunt’s phone number.
When the policeman that was interrogating me called my aunty, my aunty told him that they had declared me wanted. My aunt went further to call the police; when she called the police, she handed my IPO’s number to him (the police). It was then the police she called now called my IPO to confirm if I was the person.
When they now confirmed that I was the person, I was detained and then brought back (to Port Harcourt) on Sunday. So, today, I was brought here.
At the State CID, after my statement, it was late. So, my IPO told me to go inside the cell. That was how I got the opportunity to run away.
The IPO did not know when I ran away from the State CID. I am very sorry for what I did.”
and then