The Nigeria Police Force says it is on the trail of yet-to-be-identified thugs who murdered a private security guard said to be of Northern Nigeria extraction at the NLNG Waterwell area in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
This is coming days after the Chief Imam of Bonny LGA, Yusuf Lamis raised the alarm in a recent interview with Kristina Reports that Northerners in Bonny LGA were allegedly being subjected to ethnic profiling, harassment and intimidation.
Also, this incident is happening precisely, one week and one day after a skirmish at the Coconut Estate waterfront allegedly involving different cult groups and scavengers said to be of Northern Nigeria extraction, which led to the controversial death of one Iwarimie Longjohn, a native of Abalamabie Community in Bonny LGA.
A highly placed source within the security sector disclosed this to Kristina Reports on Saturday, August 7, 2021 in Bonny.
Divisional Police Officer of Bonny Division, James Ekpeta, a Chief Superintendent of Police, confirmed this development in a response to an enquiry from Kristina Reports.
The statement said the sister of the deceased, Rebecca Sunday, who reported the murder to the Police in the early hours of Saturday, August 7, 2021 at the Bonny Police Station, said her brother, Joseph John was physically assaulted by the thugs when he responded to an invitation by his boss, one Tammy Jumbo, who resides in Waterwell 6 in Bonny.
John, a native of Nasarawa State, was said to have been beaten to pulp and gone into coma before being rushed to St. Charles Surgery, Akiama, where he gave up the ghost while receiving treatment.
“On at about 04.50hrs, one Rebecca Sunday, “F” of Nasarawa State but resides at Ghana woman, Bonny came to the Police Station and reported that on August 7, 2021 at about 03.00hrs her brother, one Joseph John, “M” 40years, who is a security man to one Tammy Jumbo, “M” of Waterwell 6, Bonny was beaten to the state of comma by a group of boys, yet-to-be-identified, invited by his master on the allegation that he stole fuel.
“He was rushed to St. Charles Hospital, Bonny where he later died while on treatment.”
In the interview with Kristina Reports, Lamis had condemned alleged impulsive resort to self-help by some indigenes of the area, asserting that where any Northerner is caught committing a crime, such should be subjected to lawful processes as prescribed by extant laws in Nigeria.
He added that both the Northern Community and Muslim Ummah in Bonny LGA were in full support of lawful probes and prosecution of offenses involving non-indigenous residents of the area.
Efforts to reach the said Tammy Jumbo to get his reaction to the incident was yet abortive as at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, a resident of the Waterwell area, who preferred anonymity due to fears of his safety, has called on the security agencies in Bonny LGA to do a sweep of the Waterwell area to flush out cultists who have held residents of the area hostage.
According to him, “they have their meeting point at a house opposite the KalViv School at Waterwell 6 area, that is where they do their initiation and other bad practices. There is nothing they don’t do around here, raping of innocent girls, robbing people of their belongings and all sorts of intimidation”.
“We are suffering here seriously. Thank God you came asking, please we are calling on the Police, Army and Navy to come to our aid and drive these criminals away from here, so that we can rest from their troubles.”
We all need to careful in our doings with other people that stays in our community