Nemesis Finally Catches Up With Sea Pirate Who Killed Over 20 Policemen

Nemesis has caught up with a Nigerian sea pirate who unleashed horror on police officers, killing as many as 20 of them.

The suspect

 

A 24-year-old man identified as Ibilabei Agbani Lawson, has found himself in serious trouble after he was caught by the dragnet laid for him by the police in Rivers State.

 

According to The Sun News, at the headquarters of the police command, where he is being held, naked fear has gripped Lawson, an alleged cultist and sea pirate who carried out a murderous campaign against personnel of the security agencies. 

 

Like a man with a dark, stony heart that is incapable of showing mercy, Lawson was alleged not to have passed up any opportunity to kill policemen, soldiers, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security personnel he encountered in the course of his illegal activities in the creeks.

 

In one instance, he burnt a man alive for giving operatives of the Federal Special Armed Robbery Squad information about him. He doused the man with petrol and set him ablaze.

 

According to the police in Rivers State, Lawson is said to have murdered over 20 personnel of the Nigeria Marine Police as well as other security operatives. The gang operated in Buguma, Bukuma, Iyalama, Tuma, Agbakiri and Osaku areas of River State.

 

At the height of his criminal exploits, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Zaki told Sunday Sun that Lawson was declared wanted and the Special Armed Robbery Squad was ordered to make his arrest a top priority. The manhunt for him paid off when men of the Marine Police engaged in pin-down patrol around Agip/Elechi waterways in Port Harcourt arrested him after a fierce exchange of gunfire.

 

When the speed boat of the gang was searched, the police recovered a Beretta pistol, AK47 rifles with 56 rounds of ammunition and 15 wraps of weed suspected to be Indian hemp.

 

Following his arrest, Zaki said Lawson was transferred to the custody of the commander of the River State Police Command Eagle Crack Team, led by Supol Nathaniel Okpara. ASP Ejike Emmanuel and other operatives of the Team moved and arrested two other suspected members of the gang, namely Samuel Monima 22, and Noble Ngiagia.

 

Recounting some of the operations of the robbery and kidnapping allegedly carried out by Lawson and his gang, Zaki said: “On June 23, 2016, the gang of sea pirates, armed robbers and kidnappers killed men of the Nigeria Police Marine Unit, Port Harcourt, who were on assignment. The late gallant officers were ASP Omosebi Ayowole, Inspector Raphael Izokwu, Sergeant Friday Maji and Corporal Tijani Olawale. The gang carted away four assault rifles with 219 rounds of 5.6 mm ammunition, two GPMG (general purpose machine guns) with 1000 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunitions 7.62mm.”

 

Zaki added that on September 3, 2016, the gang allegedly attacked the office of the Marine police and killed Inspector Eddie Onu, Sergeant Gideon Atumba, Sergeant Abu Iyeoma, Sergeant Chioma Owhowda and carted away their arms and ammunition (namely GLK rifles with 12 rounds of explosives, one AK-47 rifle with 56 rounds, IMG with 80 rounds, two GPMG with 500 rounds and a 200HP twin Yamaha engines.

 

Lawson, Zaki said, continued on November 18, 2016 to lay siege to police formations. With his gang, he attacked and killed ASP Israel Solomon, Sergeant Oyebola Omokemi, Sergeant Kosoko Tunde, Sergeant Keban Nemuel, Sergeant  Buma Michael and took their arms and ammunitions (two AK-47 rifles with 120 rounds, two GLK and several rounds of live ammunition as well as twin 85HP Yamaha outboard engines.

 

Sunday Sun further gathered from the commanding officer of the Joint Task Force attached to 130 Battalion that Lawson and his gang also carried out an attack in Tuma community, during which four civilians and two soldiers were killed while five soldiers sustained severe gunshot injuries.

 

Subsequently, military personnel raided one of the camps belonging to the gang and recovered one pistol belonging to a DSS officer they killed. Also recovered were 495 rounds of live ammunition, 16 radio sets belonging to various security agencies.

 

Zaki added that the gang at another time attacked mobile police men on Agbakiri-Tomba road and killed a mobile policeman identified as Sergeant Tijani Ahmed with F/No 3810099 and attached of 10 PMF, Bauchi State.

 

Lawson’s gang on March 7, 2016, killed and burnt the body of Ofigite Amachree in Buguma because he had provided information to the operatives of the Federal SARS. At the headquarters of the police command, Lawson, who is a native of Buguma, spoke with Sunday Sun: “I attended St. Michael State School II Buguma in 2001 and proceeded to K.M.C Secondary School in Buguma, River State. In 2016 I went into bunkering. I don’t know anything about killing and carting away arms and ammunition from Marine Police. People in Buguma know that the two individuals who always engaged the police and military personnel are Sunny and Sunny Chiba. They are terrible people that can do anything at any time and escape to the barracks at the waterside.”

 

However his denial was countered by one of the suspects, Samuel Morima, who said that Lawson was a dedicated member of the De-Gbam secret cult. He added: “On July 26, 2017, we were driving a boat from Elechi to the dump at Ekele/Ekele when we were suddenly stopped by the police officers on sea patrol. They searched the boat and recovered a pistol, AK-47 rifle and a pump action rifle. Our gang leader, Ibilabei Lawson is a dedicated member of De-Gbam Secret cult.  We are involved in armed robbery, kidnapping, bunkering and have also killed Marine Police officers.”