Man, 35 in court over alleged assassination attempt on Oil Minister, Lokpobiri
A Magistrate Court sitting in Yenagoa on Monday remanded a 35 years old man, Susaine Morgan over the alleged attempt to assassinate the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.
The suspect was also alleged to be in unlawful possession of two AK–47 assault rifle at Ekeremor town in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
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.
The remand will pave way for the Investigating team of the Police to arrest six others now at large.
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 offences 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 investigation is ongoing. The Police is on top of the case and tracking the six other suspects at large.”
According to prosecution, 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 Years Day and hid among the crowd of visitors to pay 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 sum of N400,000.”
“They also invaded the Ekeremor town water front and snatched a speed boat to escape.”
The Police prosecutor also told the court that the arrested suspect had made useful statement 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.
