Anosike Chimobi, the suspect paraded on Monday by the Imo State Police Command of the Nigeria Police Force over the killing of the All Progressives Congress, APC Chieftain, Ahmed Gulak has said he’s a commercial bus driver who was forced to drive the vehicle that do take Unknown Gunmen to their areas of operation.

The suspect who spoke with Journalists, shortly after being paraded by the Police at the Command Headquarters in Imo State, said the Unknown Gunmen threatened to kill him if he refused to continue driving the vehicle used by them to their areas of operation.

According to Anosike Chimobi, the first time he drove the vehicle that conveyed the Unknown Gunmen to their area of operation, he was uncomfortable with what they were doing.

He was thereafter warned and his life threatened by the Unknown Gunmen if he stopped driving the vehicle.

Anosike Chimobi said one of them asked about the way forward based on different attacks carried out, but, he said, that person, must have been killed by the gang members. Saying, he has not set his eyes on that person since he asked the question. And that made him to be more scared to follow the Unknown Gunmen commands.

He said he was commanded to drive a vehicle to block the car conveying the APC Chieftain, Ahmed Gulak along the road to the air port in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

According to Anosike Chimobi, Ahemd Gulak was forced out of the vehicle before he was shot dead.

Mike Abattam, the Public Relations Officer of the Imo State Police Command, while parading Anosike Chimobi and suspects of other various crimes in the state on Monday, said Ahmed Gulak suspected killers gang member, identified as Anosike Chimobi from Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of the state was apprehended one year after Gulak’s death.

Gulak, a former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, was murdered by Unknown Gunmen on May 30, 2021, during a visit to Imo State.

He was reportedly trailed from his hotel room to the spot where he was killed around Umueze Obiangwu in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area, close to the Sam Mbakwe Airport Road in Owerri.

The Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Abattam said Chimobi had been on the trail of the command since the killing of Gulak last year.

He stated that the suspect escaped during a gun battle between police personnel and his gang members at Aboh Mbaise shortly after the murder of the APC chieftain where five of the suspects were killed.

Chimobi, who also spoke with reporters, claimed to be a commercial bus driver and not a member of the criminal gang.

He said Gulak’s killers approached him to convey them in his vehicle and he attempted to resist, but later gave in after they threatened to kill him.

The suspect admitted that he drove the criminals to the spot and blocked Gulak’s vehicle which was on its way to the airport.

According to him, they shot the APC chieftain after he resisted the demand by the gunmen that he should come down from the vehicle.

Chimobi explained that the assailants later ran into a team of security operatives who shot repeatedly at the other vehicle conveying them until it somersaulted and caught fire.

The command’s spokesman said that the police have also arrested other suspected criminals who have been terrorising communities in Imo.

He explained that among those paraded were members of the gang who burnt the home of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor.

Some of the items recovered from the suspects paraded by the police include guns of different calibre, assorted charms, and a live snake, among others.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by SP Bala Elkana, then Police Public Relations Officer of the Imo State Police Command of the Nigeria Police Force last year, hours, after Ahmed Gulak was killed reads as follow:

IMO STATE POLICE COMMAND

30TH MAY, 2021.

POLICE IN IMO HAVE NEUTRALISED THE KILLERS OF AHMED GULAK

*RECOVERED THREE AK47 RIFLES, ONE PISTOL, FIVE AK47 MAGAZINES WITH 92 ROUNDS OF LIVE AMMUNITION

*RECOVERED THREE OUT OF THE FOUR VEHICLES USED IN THE ATTACK

On 30th May, 2021 following a distress received by the Command on the gruesome murder of Ahmed Gulak, Police Special Forces made up of Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Police Mobile Force (PMF) and Tactical Units from the command were deployed to the scene at Obiangwu Junction at Ngorokpala Local Government Area of Imo state.

The teams were given a clear instruction to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the act with a view of bringing them to justice.

Eye witnesses account, especially the account given by the Driver of the vehicle that was conveying Ahmed Gulak to the Airport before the attack, gave a vivid description of the assailants and the vehicles they used in carrying out the attack.

The assailants were said to have used a Toyota Camry 2005 model with silver color; Toyota Sienna 1998 Model with golden color; Toyota Hilux with white color; and a Lexus RX 330 with golden Color. (Registration numbers are withheld for security reasons).

Having established the identity of the assailants and the description of the vehicles used in carrying out the attack, the teams further got details of the direction the hoodlums have taken.

With further leads, the team was able to establish the location of suspects. The suspects were rounded up at Afor Enyiogugu junction in Aboh-Mbaise Local Government Area.

The hoodlums where met distributing onions to locals from a trailer they confiscated. The trailer was loaded with Onions from the Northern region of Nigeria.

On sighting the Police, the hoodlums providing security coverage to those sharing the onions opened fire on the Police teams. The Gallant and battle ready Police Officers swiftly returned the fire.

The six hoodlums who carried out the killings and four other members of their gang were fatally injured. Three out of the four vehicles used in attacking Gulak were recovered.

Three AK 47 Rifles, one Pistol, five AK 47 magazines with ninety two rounds of live ammunition and criminal charms were recovered.

The assailants were identified as members of the proscribed IPOB and ESN. The driver who drove late Ahmed Gulak and a co- victim who survived have all identified the dead body of the IPOB/ESN members positively as their attackers and also identified the three vehicles recovered as those used by the attackers.

During the encounter, two of the police armored personnel carriers (APC) were riddled with bullets but survived the gun battle.

The Commissioner of Police Imo State, CP Abutu Yaro, fdc commended the gallant effort of the team and admonished them to continue to protect the public space.

Ahmed Gulak: I'm A Commercial Bus Driver – Suspect pic.twitter.com/IogUUu6OLh

— OsazuwaAkonedo (@OsazuwaAkonedo) June 27, 2022