….Come out of hidding, say police

By George Onah
Port Harcourt: More facts have emerged over the killing of the former militant leader Soboma George just as the three suspected killers of the man have denied that they killed him, while accusing the police command in Rivers State of hasty conclusion.

Wanted are Pere fiofori, Dobra Ogbe and Tommy

In a telephone conversation from their hideout, Monday, two of the three men Dobra Egbe and Pere Fiofori said they were surprised at the “way and manner the police have declared us wanted over the death of Soboma.

Was the commissioner of police there during the killing of Soboma, did he witness the killing, otherwise how did he just conclude that we were the killers of Soboma. Even Fiofori who they are accusing of the killing has been down since eight months and cannot walk, move or do anything himself”.

But in a swift reaction, Police Public Relations Officer Rita Inoma Abbey (a Superintendent) told Vanguard that, “they should just come out of their hiding and tell the government or police all they know about the killing and not remain in hiding”.

Dobra said they were surprised that a newspaper “published that Fiofori made a phone call to it just to state our side of the story. It is all lies Fiofori did not make any call to any newspaper”, stating that the police should go and look for those who killed Soboma and not focus on them.

However, an ally of Soboma who identified himself as Tamuno insisted that the three suspects and a driver actually drove to the scene of the incident “because the men fell out with Soboma because he had forbade them from taking part in robbery, kidnapping, rape and other criminal activities.

Giving account of the reason for the split, Tamuno said the three suspects snatched one of Soboma’s boys called Condon Boy, following which they took part in a robbery and Condon Boy died in an encounter with the police during the robbery.

“The death of Condon Boy angered Soboma and he promptly promised the three men that he would work with the police to apprehend them. A few days later, one of the gang members of that group called Caiphas was killed in another encounter with the police, causing the three men to inform Soboma that the battle line had been drawn.

But unknown to Soboma, the splinter leaders had followers still in his rank who were feeding the group with the movement of Soboma. It was in the cause of one of such information that Soboma was trailed to the football field.

He had complained of body pain on the day of his death but as a football lover he accepted to be driven from Marine Base to the football field at Borokiri Approved School by his personal assistant called Faye.

The victory of his team by one goal against the opponents thrilled him and caused him to reject being driven in the same car back home but to walk along with other friends and the players so as to savour the victory of his team.

Unfortunately, the informants around him contacted his enemies on phone with details of his movement. As it would happen his assailants then caught him at the point where he stopped to buy groundnuts.

They first shot him from behind and as he fell and attempted to creep on his knees to escape, Dobra (allegedly) came down from the vehicle and walked straight to where he was on his knees and said “I thought you said you won’t die” and shot him severally on his head with AK47 riffle.

Moments later,Faye his PA raced to the spot and carried his remains for protection that night, where he was later taken to an undisclosed mortuary in the morning. A member of the group then called Soboma’s wife and informed her that Soboma had been killed and she would henceforth become his wife”.