Renowned Security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu has called for the setting up of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit in each Police Area Command in the country in order to improve criminal investigations and successfully detect and prosecute perpetrators of violent crimes such as kidnapping, assassination, bombing and fraud.
The CSI unit will conduct crime scene searches, scene sketches, evidence markings, crime scene photography, and the collection of physical evidence with appropriate chain of custody protocols adhered to.
The CSI unit will also be responsible for the search for and collection of physical evidence at crime scenes. These items of physical evidence include blood evidence, finger print dusting in search of latent prints, hair and fibre evidence, bullet casings, guns and knives, tools and inspection of dead bodies and any other physical evidence of probative value at the crime scene.
This policy prescription is contained in a new book entitled: Kidnap – Face to Face with Death written by the first chartered security professional in West Africa, Dr. Ona Ekhomu. The book is an incredible narrative of his encounter with kidnappers and how he narrowly escaped death from AK-47 fire.
In the book, which has been described as a seminal contribution to security awareness and public safety in Nigeria, Ekhomu x-rayed the criminal investigation structure and practice as conducted by the Nigeria Police force, the Department of State Services and the Joint Military Task Force at the investigation of his shooting and concluded that it was substandard.
The present criminal investigation structure and process activities may not be able to resolve violent crimes. According to book, forensic analysis is totally absent at crime scenes.
The book also called for the setting up of a Crime Laboratory in each State Police Command where scientific crime analysis would be conducted in order to tie physical evidence properly collected from a crime scene to the perpetrator. The author concludes that the current confession-led policing method is increasingly proving ineffective to solve complex crimes such as kidnapping, assassination, terrorism, fraud, etc.
The 500 page book recounts the attempted kidnap of the security icon in October 2013 by members of the dreaded Kelvin Oniarah kidnap gang in Edo State. Dr. Ekhomu was shot during the kidnap attempt, while his wife who was taken away was later set free by JTF within two hours of her seizure. Two members of the travel party were murdered by the kidnappers who were dressed in police uniforms during the ambush.
In addition, the book which will be presented to the public on November 28th at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island Lagos, provides a step by step guide on how to avoid falling victim of profit kidnap. It provides hostage survival tips for persons who have been seized given the penchant of Nigerian kidnappers to kill their hostages in order to avoid detection.
The book also coaches readers on how to combat gunfire at point blank range including defensive parrying action, control of muzzle of weapon and methods of stripping weapons from assailants. Other high-level combat skills taught in the book are IE factor, control of distance, control of timing, defense against class three weapons, and observation skills.
The book also analyzes Nigeria’s medical infrastructure and services and awards low marks to the health service sector. It calls for a drastic improvement of the health system in order to reduce medical tourism which arises from traumatic incidents such as the gunshot wounds (GSW) which he received during the kidnap attempt.
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