Police kill 6 Don Wani gang members in shootout, arrest 1

The Nigerian Police Force has announced that its officers killed six members of the gang that carried out the bloody New Year massacre that resulted in the death of more than 20 people in Omoku, Rivers State.

While addressing journalists on Thursday, January 11, 2018, Police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, said that the six gang members had been killed after they engaged officers in a shootout in Awara Forest, a boundary between Imo State and Rivers.

"The IGP-Intelligence Response Team attached to the Joint Police Special Investigation Team engaged some of the suspects in their hideouts in Awara Forest boundary between Imo and Rivers State, the shoot out lasting several hours resulted in the death of six (6) of the suspects while others escaped with bullet wound injury to other locations in Rivers, Delta, Imo and Bayelsa States and the Police Teams are currently on their trail," he said.

Moshood also noted that the police was able to apprehend a senior member of the cult group, Desmond Okotubo, a 32-year-old native of Egbenma from Unelga LGA of Rivers.

He revealed that Okotubo confessed to be one of the masterminds of the gang and actively participated in the killings that sent shock around the nation at the dawn of the new year.

The statement read, "The IGP-Intelligence Response Team working on an actionable intelligence further identified Desmond Okotubo who escaped on the 3rd January, 2018 to Abuja after a shoot out with the Police Team in a location in Imo State, he was trailed to Mpape in Abuja where he was arrested after serious resistance on the 9th January, 2018.

"This principal Suspect, Desmond Okotubo 32 years, is a Native of Egbenma from Unelga LGA Rivers State Confessed to be one of the masterminds of the gang and actively participated in the killings of innocent people in Omoku Rivers state on the New Year day.

"He further gave details of how they planned the Operation in Awara Town Imo State before they carried out the act.

"The suspect, Desmond Okotubo also revealed to the Police how their Gang leader Don Wanny gathered them and briefed them on the night of 31st January, 2017 on the mission to attack and kill the residents of Omoku town.

"Thirty (30) of them Armed with over Twenty (20) AK47 Rifles crossed the river from Awara to Omoku forest and proceeded to Omoku town and opened fire on innocent Citizens celebrating the new year."

Moshood said that the force is still in the process of further investigation into the tragic event with a commitment towards getting to the root of the matter by arresting more members that are currently at large.

The mastermind behind the massacre, Johnson Igwedibia, popularly known as Don Wani, was killed in a shootout in Enugu State last week.