How Police Recaptured Escaped Suspect, Ikemefuna Ossai in Anambra Lawmaker’s Murder [Photo]

Ikemefuna Ossai, one of the fleeing suspects linked to the cold-blooded murder of Justice Chukwunenye Azuka, a former member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, was rearrested on Wednesday.

Azuka was a state legislator representing Onitsha North 1 State Constituency when he died. He was 40 years old.

His assailants abducted him on December 24. More than a month later, on February 6, the Anambra State Police Command found his lifeless body at the Second Niger Bridge.

On February 7, Nnaghe Obono, the state’s commissioner of police, told Nigerians that nine suspects had been arrested.

Things took a surprising dimension when the police announced on February 21 that two of the suspected killers had escaped.

On Thursday, the police, with the cooperation of Eagle Track Global Network Limited, a Nigerian private security company, trailed Ossai to Asaba, Delta State, and arrested him on Wednesday evening.

A director at the security firm, who asked not to be mentioned, revealed on Thursday that the operation began immediately Ossai escaped.

“In the process of arresting other members of the kidnapping gang, there was an operational error on the part of the police and two suspects escaped,” said the source.

“We then decided to assist the police to make sure he was rearrested. Through covert intelligence gathering, we discovered that he ran to Ghana. We followed his trail to Ghana on March 27, specifically to Accra and Kumasi in that country.

“In Ghana, we gathered that he carried out another operation. He stole someone’s iPhone Pro Max and was using it. Some of his gang members were killed but he escaped unhurt.

“We meticulously studied his movements across different locations in Ghana and we found out that he had returned to Nigeria. On April 15, we also came back to Anambra. He engaged in cross-border criminalities. He would commit a crime in Nigeria, run away to Ghana and vice versa. This has been helping him to escape authorities’ manhunt.

“We continued profiling and keeping record of his movements. On Wednesday, we pinpointed his exact location at Cable Point, Denis Osadebe Road in Asaba, Delta State, and closed in on him. At exactly 7:40 pm, we arrested him.”

The source said that the tracking team was still pursuing Chinedu, the second suspect.

“Ossai’s arrest is a major breakthrough for us. Although Chinedu is still on the run, I am confident that he would be in police net very soon. That is all I can say,” the director said.

“Our team was comprised of our investigators from our company and some police officers, particularly Ifeanyi Iburu, a chief superintendent of police who is the commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), and the commissioner of police enormously supported our movement throughout this period. We appreciate his commitment on this important assignment.

“As a security company, we have been existing for 19 years and we are more committed than ever to assisting security agencies to reduce the spike of insecurity and rebuild public confidence in the security architecture of the country.”