The ring leader of the thugs that allegedly roasted the PDP Woman Leader of Ochadamu Ward, Mrs Salome Acheju Abu alive, one Ocholi Edicha has been arrested with five members of his gang.
They were arrested in early hours of today after several residents of Ochadamu identified Edicha as the ring leader of the gang that carried out a spate of armed robberies in the community .
Emboldened and feeling invisible after barricading and burning Mrs Abu to death in her home, the gang announced their arrival at homes of terrified villagers Wednesday night shooting sporadically and forcing them to open their doors.
Eyewitness say residents were robbed of their phones, cash and other valuables by the thugs welding AK47 assault riffles and making no attempt to disguise their identity.
Several villagers have reportedly fled the community fearing for their lives after the attack.
The gang however ran out of luck at about 6:am Thursday morning when Special Anti Robbery Squad (SAR) stationed in Ejule the major town closest to the Ochadamu community trailed the gang to a hideout in Okele Community at about 5:am and caught them sleeping after a busy night of robbery .
They are being detained at the Ejule Police Station, but there are fears that the Kogi State Government known to have brazenly influenced the release murder suspects in January after they confessed to the murder on camera could again deploy it’s enormous power to free the suspected armed robbers and savage murderers .
In late January two thugs of Mr Bello confessed during an interview recorded on video at the Kogi State Police CID that they both shot Mr Ojo Enesi a supporter of Social Democratic Party Candidate who was killed in his home.
But on the day of the confession a very high ranking official from the government personally arrived the police facility to free the confessed murderers.
Nothing has been heard of the matter ever since. The confessed murderers remain free and were reported to have taken an active part in the mayhem that attended the Kogi State Governorship Election at the weekend.
Ocholi Edicha who is in custody with members of his gang was identified by several villagers as the ring leader of the thugs that roasted Mrs Abu alive and burnt three other houses in Ochadamu on Monday.
But Governor Bello on Tuesday while speaking on the barbaric killing of the woman who was barricaded in her home and set ablaze until she was burnt to ashes claimed it was a reprisal attack by his supporters.
In what appeared to be a justification of the gruesome act Gov Bello speaking on Channels TV breakfast program Sunrise Daily claimed a PDP supporter had killed one of his supporters and ran into Mrs Abu’s house but ran out on the other side.
He said that provoked his supporters into setting Mrs Abu and the house ablaze, adding the matter was still under investigation.
Observers in Kogi believe that the thugs were emboldened after the governor’s justification of their dastard savagery and have been shooting in the community all day and all night.
The robbery last night was in continuation of their brazen intimidation in the community since they received a seemingly official endorsement from Governor Yahaya Bello.
