Court remands 35 yrs old suspect over alleged New Year’s Day assassination attempt on Oil Minister
By: Odie Ramon Yenagoa.
A Magistrate Court sitting in Yenagoa has ordered the remand of a 35 years old man, Susaine Morgan, over the alleged attempt to assassinate the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and unlawful possession of two assault rifles (AK 47) in Ekeremor town in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The remand warrant, issued by the State Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, and filed in court by Police Prosecutor, ASP Stella A. Jerry-Friday Esq, was approved by the Magistrate to allow the detention of the suspect for 30 days at the correctional Service Center at Okaka and allow the Investigating team of the Police to arrest six others now at large.
A source within the Court told newsmen that the remand warrant, in a suit filed with reference number YMC/51C/2025, for the detention of the suspect in the Minister’s assassination attempt was charged with an alleged attempt to kidnap and unlawful possession of firearms (two AK 47).
According to the charges, “the defendant was arrested in the afternoon hours of 1st day January 2025 in Senator Heineken Lokpobiri’s residence at Ekeremor Town in Ekeremor Local Government area of Bayelsa State for offenses of conspiracy, armed robbery, attempt to kidnap and unlawful possession of firearms (two AK47).”
It was also gathered that the request for remand of the suspect was done due to the limited power of the police to continue the detention of the suspect without an order by the court, “as the investigation is ongoing. The Police are on top of the case and tracking the six other suspects at large.”
A police source also confirmed on Monday that such a request is normal and if the suspect is granted bail, “there is the likelihood that he will interfere with police investigation due to the serious nature of the case and other fleeing cohorts who are yet to be arrested will be influenced and may not be arrested by the police.”
According to a security report, seven of the suspects had gained entry into the palatial country home of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri on New Year’s Day and hid among the crowd of visitors to pay a yuletide visit, “but information filtered to the armed military men that some persons were armed and dangerous among the visitors.”
“Due to the large crowd, the soldiers, who could not open fire, ordered everyone to lie down. It was only the arrested suspect, who was with the bag conveying the weapon, that got arrested. Others mixed up with the panicked crowd and escaped. They started shooting inside the community and attacked a filling station in anger and made away with a sum of N400,000.”
“They also invaded the Ekeremor town waterfront and snatched a speed boat to escape.” It was gathered that the arrested suspect had made useful statements on the persons allegedly involved and the police are on their trail”.
While reports claimed the suspects are allegedly indigenes of Ekeremor Local Government, others claimed the attempt may be political and over the struggle for the control of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State.