By Nigerian Army Kill Mastermind Of New Year Killings In Rivers State
It was waterloo for Prince Johnson Igwedibia, also known as Don Waney and his gang members on Sunday after soldiers of the Nigerian Army invaded their hideout in Enugu State.
According to Major General Enobong Udoh, the outgoing General Officer Commanding of 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Don Waney and two of his gang members were overpowered by the soldiers in Enugu, where they had gone to plan another attack after the New Year killings.
Don Waney’s death is coming months after a manhunt was launched against him by the Nigerian Army. Recall that decomposed bodies and skulls were recovered in the camp of the militant leader who earlier embraced amnesty in 2016. He was immediately declared wanted after the discovery. Read more here…Nigerian Army Recovers Corpses, Human Skulls From Den Of Rivers State Militant, General Wanni
Gen Udoh disclosed to journalists while displaying the bodies of Don Waney, his second-in-command, Ikechukwu and one other suspect, that security operatives trailed the suspects from Port Harcourt to Imo State and then Enugu State before engaging which resulted to their death.
The Army maintained that Don Waney, a suspected cult leader, militant and kidnapper was responsible for the New Year massacre in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA where 22 persons who had gone for the New Year’s Eve Service were killed. Gen Udoh added that the gang were concluding plans of another bloodbath in Omoku before they were killed in their newly rented hideout. He said the operation involved soldiers and operatives of the Department of State Services.
You will recall that in the first hours of the New Year, January 1, 2018, there was mayhem in which 22 innocent residents of Omoku in Rivers State were heartlessly murdered while coming back from the New Year’s Eve service.
“After that, you will also recall that there was a directive from Mr. President that the heartless killers and perpetrators of that mayhem must be hunted down and brought to book.
“This directive was conveyed in a mandate by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, to the 6 Division to collaborate with the DSS, the police and all other security agencies in Rivers State to hunt down and bring to book the perpetrators of that mayhem..
“They initially hid somewhere in Imo State. We later traced them to Enugu, where he (Don Waney) rented an apartment and lived with other people. From there, he and his group were planning another attack on Omoku,” he said.
Udoh noted that the General Officer Commanding, 82 Division, Enugu, contributed to the success of the operation.
“I want to mention the fact that Don Waney, the leader of the criminal and murderous gang, was the mastermind of that January 1st (2018) massacre in Omoku.
“But that operation was led by Ikechukwu, the second-in- command, who is here. There is another person who I don’t want to mention that also led that operation. We will not rest until we bring all of them to book,” he added.
Also at the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army were the State Director of DSS, Tosin Ajayi and Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed.
