Late Omogui: Shot dead by robbers

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Three suspects who were arrested by the Edo State Police Command, in connection with the alleged robbery attack on late Mrs. Grace Omoigui, are to face murder charge, following the death of the octogenarian.

The late Omoigui, a retired Magistrate and mother of a former Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service, Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru‎, was  shot in the thigh during a robbery attack at Liberty Avenue, GRA, Benin, on October 24, 2016, but she later died as a result of the gun shot injury.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Haliru Gwandu, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects and the death of the 82-year-old woman to journalists in Benin on Sunday evening, disclosed that the suspects were arrested four days after the attack.

He gave the names of the suspects as Austin Orene, Isaiah Ngbeken and Esogie Aigbede.

The police boss who disclosed that the charges earlier preferred against the suspects was armed robbery, added that it will now be reviewed to include murder, following the death of the woman on November 19.

“The old woman was shot in the flesh not bone. She had been treated and discharged here. That had taken almost a month now.

“She recovered [from the wound]. We took her to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and when she was discharged from the hospital, the in-law took her to Lagos. She died in Lagos.

“We have already arrested them [suspects]. They are in prison. They were charged for armed robbery. But this time around, we will modify our case file and transmit to the DPP‎ to inform them that she had died. So, there is an additional charge of murder,” Gwandu said.

It was learnt that the 82-year-old victim was trailed from a new generation bank ‎located along Sapele road, where she had gone to withdraw money sent to her by her daughter.

Her assailans were said to have shot the tyres of her vehicle and also followed her into the premises of an hotel on Liberty Avenue where they shot her and reportedly robbed her of the sum of N2 million naira.

A source in the area, who did not want to be mentioned, said that the robbers had demanded a blue bag  containing the money‎ and scuffle with the victim when she reportedly gave them a wrong bag.

The source also claimed that some security men and the driver watched helplessly as the robbers later made away with the cash.

According to the police boss, items recovered from them included one double barrel cut-to-size gun, two single‎ barrel cut-to-size gun and a live cartridge.

Other items recovered were assorted handsets, different identify cards and receipt booklets, a decoder, a DVD and ‎ a laptop.