The Niger State Police Command on Tuesday paraded two suspected armed robbers, whom it said were members of an eight-man gang responsible for the killing of a superintendent of police, Omale Simon, in his hotel room in Suleja Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects, Sadiq Mohammed (23); and Abdullahamid Aliyu (25); of the Madalla area of the state, were reportedly trailed and arrested by police detectives attached to the Madalla Police Division following a tip-off.
They were said to have been apprehended shortly before their planned escape after allegedly committing the crime.
It was learnt that the eight-man gang killed the police officer, who until his death was serving in the Borno State Command.
He was murdered in his hotel room in Suleja on November 15, 2018.
Northern City News gathered that the assailants also robbed other lodgers in the hotel and took away the six plasma television sets, one Infinix Hot 4 phone, one wristwatch, Tecno K9 phone, Nokia 260 phone, $1,600 and N31,000 cash.
Checks revealed that the suspects were also being investigated for alleged participation in series of assassinations before their arrest.
One of the suspects in police custody, Aliyu, told our correspondent that he and members of his gang shot the late police officer to death but were unaware of his identity as of the time of the murder.
Aliyu said, “I never knew that our victim was a police officer, otherwise we should not have been part of the gang that killed him. It’s quite unfortunate.
“We killed him just like any of our victims. I have learnt my lesson the hard way and I pray that the police will forgive me.”
Asked whether he regretted his action, the suspect said, “I regret my action. Honestly, the police officer deserves to be alive.”
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Abubakar, confirmed the incident, saying the suspects confessed to the crime and added that they would soon be charged to court.
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