Lukman Issah, a.k.a Commander
Just
as Osama Bin Laden was eventually neutralized by American special
forces in Pakistan after a manhunt that lasted for more than a decade,
the police in Kogi State have also ended the long reign of a notorious
serial killer declared wanted 10 years ago.
The heartless killer wasted over 150 lives in various churches and
other places. There was therefore joy and cause for celebration when the
alleged 45-year-old serial killer and arsonist, Lukman Issah, a.k.a
Commander, who defied capture by five past police commissioners in Kogi,
died from gunshot injuries he received during a shootout with the
policemen led by the commander of the Special Armed Robbery Squad, Supol
Bimbo Oyewole, at Ihima community, Okehi LGA, on September 3, 2017.
While he was being rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja,
Issah was reported to have begged the police officers not to let him
die, appealing to them to spare his life. But he gave up ghost on the
way and his corpse was then deposited at the mortuary.
Issah who hailed from Emani clan of Obeiba, Ihima in Okehi Local
Government Area of Kogi State was a vicious bloodletting serial killer
and arsonist. He had a long spell of criminal reign. He allegedly
killed over 150 innocent people, including police, DSS, Army and Prison
officers posted to the state. He and his gang always left a trail of
blood and arson as they murdered people in cold blood.
Upon assuming duties in the state, Sunday Sun gathered that the
Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, deployed new strategies
which were implemented by the commander of the Special Armed Robbery
Squad, Supol Bimbo Oyewole and his men, which led to the breakthrough
that brought Issah’s reign to an end.
About the same time, operatives of the Federal SARS in Abuja, were
also on the trail of Issah, who was a high profile suspect on the Most
Wanted List in the state and at Federal SARS Abuja.
His reign of terror was said to have ticked up on November 30,
2009, when Issah and his gang stormed the home of Tafa Ogirima and Taye
Adubazi, where a naming ceremony was going on and shot the duo dead. The
distraught family reported the case to the police, but all efforts to
arrest Lukman and his gang members proved futile.
Again, on March 29, 2011, Issah and the gang attacked men of 37
Police Mobile Force posted on special duty at Adogo in Ajaeokuta LGA of
Kogi State. Four police officers, namely, Inspector Maxwell Dan-Zaira,
Sergeant Moses Usman, Corporal Sunday Ogbole and Constable Bulus Linka,
were were all killed during the attack. Their arms and ammunition were
taken away by the gang.
The gang had also on May 15, 2011, attacked a police patrol team,
which was on stop and search duty along Ogori/Magongo Division. In the
attack, Inspector Ochekpo Amanyi of 37PMF squadron and another officer
were shot dead while the patrol vehicle used by the police team was set
ablaze. Two AK-47 rifles in custody of the two deceased officers were
taken away with a total 60 rounds of ammunitions.
Similarly, on August 6, 2012, the gang attacked worshippers at the
Deeper Life Bible Church, Otite, near Federal College of Education,
Okene, and killed 19 worshippers while several others sustained
injuries. Three suspects, namely Abdulmanna Obadakil, Yokini Isah, and
Sadiq Jimoh Bello, members of Lukman Issah’s gang were arrested in
connection with crime. Six AK47 rifles including military rifles and one
Beretta pistol were recovered from them. The arrested suspects indicted
Lukman Issah of involvement in the commission of the crime
Meanwhile Issah’s reign of terror continued when, in February 2012,
he shot one Ohireba dead at Ihima, as the victim was relaxing in front
of his house in the evening. The killing was linked to the stoppage of
the Okiri masquerade outing during the fuel subsidy crisis.
On August 14, 2016, a member of the state House of Assembly
narrowly escaped death after Isah had threatened to kill him if he
failed to pay him N3 million to avert the planned assassination. The
state lawmaker and his family abandoned their home and went into hiding.
Apparently emboldened by his inglorious exploits, he threatened on
August 20, 2017, to unleash mayhem on the people of Ihima community if
the proposed installation of a new clan head, the Obobanyi of Ohueta by
the Ohueta clan (one of the six clans that make up Ihima community of
which Emani is one) was allowed to hold. It was gathered that the people
of Emani clan, where Issah hailed from opposed the use of the Obobanyi
title by the Ohueta clan. Through intelligence, the police discovered
that Issah was to serve the arrowhead of attack and was indeed amassing
arms and ammunition preparatory to wage war.
Recalling the traumatic experience of the attack on the church that
happened on August 6, 2012, during a vigil, one of the pastors of the
Deeper Life Church, Pastor James Oscar, said that Issah and his gang
member shot indiscriminately. They killed many of church members and
injured several others.
“It is just the grace of God that the church is still on. We
lost some members of the church who stopped attending the church because
of the incident. We have handed everything over to God. We heard that
the killer was killed, we know that God has fought for us and we believe
that our God is alive,” Oscar said.
A member of the Landlord Association in Lokoja, Alhaji Abdullahi
Sule, praised the police for killing Issah, who had brought sorrow to
many families. “Today, the Kogi State is calm, the period of criminality and victimization, of killing innocent soul is gone,” Sule said.
“We want the Kogi State Police Command to go after the
remaining criminals who have also been terrorising the state. The state
government should give police a solid support to fight criminals in the
state. We want to give glory to Allah.”
The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu assured that the
Command would not relent in the fight against criminals, to ensure that
there is peace in Kogi State.
Source: The SUN.
0 comments:
Post a Comment