Police officer detained as Rivers residents protest escape of suspected ritual killer

A suspected killer escape from police custody? No way.
Residents of Eliozu in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Wednesday, stormed the state police command to protest the escape from custody of a suspected ritual killer, Ifeanyi Dike.
Other residents blocked some roads in the state capital.
Dike was arrested by members of a vigilante group when he attempted to dump the body of Miss Victory Chikamso, an eight-year-old neighbour, who he killed for ritual purposes. Her breasts, eyes and other parts of the body had been removed before attempting to dump the body.
He was taken to the police station and later paraded only for the residents to be told later that he had escaped from custody.
One of the protesters, Mr Promise Wobo, said their action was to call on the Rivers Police Command to re-arrest Dike.
Wobo said that it was an embarrassment to Nigeria for a suspected ritual killer to escape from police custody.
“It was our local vigilance team that caught him when he was attempting to dispose of the body.
“He was handed over to the police for interrogation and prosecution but it’s so unfortunate and embarrassing for him to have escaped from the custody.
“All we want is, the police should re-arrest the suspect and prosecute him together with the officer that allowed him to escape,” he said.
Mrs Alaerebo Jack said that the police had no excuse as to why the boy should escape from their custody.
Jack said that the protest was to call on the Rivers Government not to allow the police authority to bury the matter without justice.
“We are calling on Governor Nyesom Wike to act within his powers to ensure that the police are made to re-arrest Dike to face prosecution.
“The killing of the eight- year old girl is ungodly and against the laws of the land but instead of the police to act professionally, they decided to allow the killer to escape,” she said.
Another resident, Mr Chike Boms, said that they had lost confidence in the Nigeria Police to protect them.
“If a ritual killer suspect that was handed over to the police can escape from custody, how can they even protect the citizens?
“The officer in-charge of the matter that allowed Dike to escape should be held responsible and dealt with while the police authority also sanitise their system,” he said.
Boms frowned at the decision of the police to disperse them with force.
The suspect, a 200 level undergraduate student of University of Port Harcourt, had earlier admitted to have committed the crime.
Dike confessed that his victim died when he was cutting-off parts of her body that was requested from him.
The victim’s body was mutilated as her eyes, private part and some fingers were removed.
Dr Earnest Mezuwuba, the father of the victim, urged the Police to ensure that the suspect was re-arrested to face the law.
Meanwhile, the state Police Commissioner, Mr Zaki Ahmed, said that the officer who was in charge of the case, Mr John Bosco, had been arrested and detained.
Ahmed also assured the protesters that the police had deployed all necessary means at its disposal to re-arrest the suspect.