Our Mission Was To Assassinate Apostle Johnson Suleman – Suspect

A suspect, Yusuf Ismael Isah said to be arrested two months ago at Akure in Ondo State has spoken before press in Abuja that they had planned to assassinate the founder and general overseer of Omega Fire Ministry, Apostle Johnson Suleman.

Yusuf Ismael Isah said he was the first person to open fire at the convoy of Apostle Johnson Suleman on October 21, 2022 when the Omega Fire Ministry general overseer came under heavy gun attack along Warake road at Auchi Community in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State. The deadly gun attack led to the killing of seven persons including policemen attached to the Apostle.

Apostle Johnson Suleman, Wife and children escaped from the scene of the attack despite several bullets fired at their vehicle. The bullets didn’t penetrate the vehicle because the SUV Jeep was bullet proof.

Shortly after the attack, Apostle Johnson Suleman did a number of videos, saying, the attack was assassination attempt on his life and he knew those behind the attack.

Nigeria Police Force on Thursday paraded a suspected member of the gang that attacked Apostle Johnson Suleman. The suspect said the attack was a case of assassination. He said their intention was to assassinate Apostle Johnson Suleman. The suspect said he does not have details about the contracted assassination or the reason or people who sponsored them to kill the Omega Fire Ministry general overseer. The Suspect, Yusuf Isah said the contract was facilitated by Ilayasu and Labisca. Ilayasu and Labisca whereabouts are still unknown.

Apostle Johnson Suleman in reaction to the Police parade of the suspected assassin on Thursday, expressed displeasure over what he described as Nigeria Police Force taking glory for what he mobilized them to do. According to Apostle Johnson Suleman, he mobilized a particular team of men of the Nigeria Police Force to carry out the investigation, track and arrest the people after his life, but, the first team of the police detective were not fast enough or giving good result hence he mobilized another team of police detective who eventually track one of the gang members and arrested him two months ago at Akure in Ondo State. A video of the scene of the arrest showed Yusuf Ismael Isah making some confession and narrated how he had been operating as a member of the criminal gang. Yusuf Ismael Isah said they don’t use magical power or charm, or insider person in their criminal operation. He narrated how one of them traced and sent message to them via Telegram that Apostle Johnson Suleman was already on his way.

Apostle Johnson Suleman added that the gang was not easy to track because the gang members barely communicate via Telegram. Apostle Johnson Suleman said the group was tracked and one of them arrested two months ago but he insisted and told the police that they shouldn’t make public the video so that the arrested suspect can assist the police in unmasking and arresting other gang members and the sponsor of the assassination attempt on his life. Apostle Johnson Suleman said the criminal gang was behind the kidnapping of Baba Petrol and the attempted kidnapping of the mother of Kogi State governor.

It would be recalled that the chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Benin Depot, Alhaji Abdul-Hamid Egele, well known as Baba Petrol was kidnapped at the gate of his house in Jattu area in the Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State on February 7, 2022 and his driver shot dead by the Kidnappers at the spot. Baba Petrol later regained his freedom 11 days after, after he reportedly paid ₦70 million ransom to the kidnappers at a location in Kaduna State.

Yusuf Ismael Isah while being interrogated by the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi before newsmen on Thursday, said thus in quote:

“The attack on him (Suleman) was to assassinate him. I was not part of the discussion; Ilayasu and Labisca were the ones involved in the discussion.

“We attacked him with five AK 47 rifles. Labisca trailed him from where he was coming from to the point where we attacked him,” Isah said.

Nigeria Police Force statements reads below in quote:

INTERNAL SECURITY: POLICE ARREST 1,412 SUSPECTS, RECOVER 350 ARMS, 4,055 AMMUNITION NATIONWIDE IN 2 MONTHS

Rescues 113 Kidnap Victims Unhurt

Suspect of Attack on Apostle Johnson Suleiman Nabbed

The Nigeria Police Force in its ongoing efforts to combat crime and criminality and curb the proliferation of illegal weapons in the country has recorded several notable breakthroughs in the past 2 months, resulting in the arrest of 1,412 Suspects for various violent crimes including 548 suspects for Armed Robbery, 242 suspects for Kidnapping, 365 suspects for Murder/Homicide, and 237 suspects for Rape/Defilement. Notably, 350 illicit firearms, and 4,055 ammunition of various calibers were equally recovered from across the country within the period under review, while 113 kidnap suspects were rescued unhurt and re-united with their families.

Prominent amongst these breakthroughs was the arrest of one Yusuf Ismael Isah aged 32, a plumber from Okene, Kogi State, by gallant operatives of the Force. According to investigations, he was part of the 7-man gang that launched a fatal attack on the convoy of Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the Founder of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Auchi, on October 21, 2022, along Benin – Auchi road, wherein six (6) people, including 3 police officers, were gruesomely murdered.

Intelligence revealed that the 7-man syndicate has been actively involved in kidnapping operations within Edo State and its environs and have carried out about 4 kidnapping operations between 2021 and 2023, before the gang was eventually busted by the Police. Exhibits recovered from the suspect upon his arrest in Ondo State include 5 AK47 Rifles, 2 K2 Assault Rifles, 180 Rounds of Live Ammunition, 4 suspected locally made IEDs, 1 pistol, and 4 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Similarly, 5 suspects were apprehended in Abuja for Conspiracy and Kidnapping. The suspects – Emu Larry Chidiebere ‘m’ 34, Samuel Balogun ‘m’ 22, Williams Banjo ‘m’ 28, Babatunde Femi ‘m’ 30, and Nneka Opara ‘f’ 32, were arrested for kidnapping a foreign national and obtaining a ransom of 2000 Dollars from his relatives.

The suspects held the victim hostage in an apartment from May 30, 2023 to June 2, 2023. The suspects took pictures of the victim and forwarded the pictures and threat messages to the girlfriend of the victim in Zurich, who eventually sent them the sum of 2000 dollars via Western Union on June 1, 2023.

Additionally, the Police has sustained a continuous assault on the camps of some non-state actors in the South-East enforcing an illegal sit at home order particularly in Enugu, Imo, and Ebonyi States. In Enugu, 4 suspects were neutralized following a gun duel with operatives of the Force on Friday 7th July, 2023 while 1 AK47 with 19 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, and 2 molotov cocktails were recovered. In Ebonyi, 17 suspects were arrested following a raid on the hideout of secessionist agitators on 5th and 6th of July, 2023, while 1 locally made revolver, 2 vehicle number plates and 3 live ammunition were recovered. Similarly, in Imo, police operatives arrested 26 hoodlums following the murder of a young man in their rampage, and successfully recovered 5 firearms, 66 live ammunition and several other exhibits.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, has reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to continually ensure the safety and security of all and sundry, while emphasizing that his administration will leave no stone unturned in the effort to suppress and decimate criminality and the heinous activities of non-state actors who cause pain, hardship, and sorrows to innocent law abiding members of the Nigerian society.

CSP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra,
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA, July 13, 2023