The late Ihuigwe was killed on September 16, 2017 in Rumuekini in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area by the suspects, who dumped his corpse in a cassava farm.
Until his death, Ihuigwe was the PDP chairman of Ward 16 in Ogbogoro community in Obio/Akor LGA.
Speaking with newsmen at the state police command on Tuesday, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Cyril Okoro, disclosed that men of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igwe, apprehended the suspected killers.
Okoro explained that the police had to douse the tension in the community over Ihuigwe’s murder by assuring the people that the killers would be fished out and made to face the law.
“Following a tip-off, men of the IGP Monitoring Unit arrested one Ifeanyi Okoro, 25 years old, residing at Omagwa community in the Ikwerre LGA. On interrogation, the suspect confessed to have been involved in the murder of the late Honourable.
“His confession led to the arrest of three others – Ajade Niyi, Austin Isotec and Chief Joseph Iwuoku aka Uduakonmiri, whose confession led to the arrest of the fourth suspect, Clement Yusuf, with one Yaye still at large,” the DCP said.
Explaining that the suspects had confessed to the crime, Okoro told newsmen that they would soon be charged to court.
According to him, one black Toyota Highlander, a Gionee M5 phone belonging to the deceased and some original land documents were recovered from the suspects.
The wife of the slain politician, Mrs. Salome Ihuigwe, expressed sadness that her husband was killed for no reason, saying she had been left alone to cater for their five children.
The widow, however, expressed gratitude to the IGP Monitoring Unit of the Nigeria Police and urged the police to ensure that the matter was not swept under the carpet.
She lamented, “The death of my husband came as a very big shock to me because he left the house in the morning. They killed him without any reason.
“When the incident happened, I didn’t know where to stand. There were rumours coming from different angles as to who participated in his killing. But I thank God today that through the help of his brother, Honourable Francis Amadi, and the IGP Monitoring Unit, they have put smiles on my face.
“I have five children to take care of; these people took my husband away. I am happy today that the police have done their job. These suspects must be brought to book. They made me a widow to cater for my five children.”
Also, the lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor State Constituency 2 in the House of Assembly, Michael Chinda, stressed the need for the police to follow the matter to the end.
“The death of Heaven was a very big shock to my constituency, Obio/Akpor Constituency 2. We felt very bad and his death would have resulted in massive destruction of properties as a result of rumours from persons that contributed to his murder.
“But I thank the Nigeria Police Force, particularly the IGP Monitoring Unit, for their efforts towards fishing out the accused persons. This arrest has laid to rest all these rumours on who killed Heaven Ihuigwe,” the lawmaker, who was at the police command, said.
He, however, insisted that the murder of the PDP chieftain was not political.
Tags
Crime