Murder of Soboma George: Detainee's family wants suspect released

The family of Mr. Doubra Ogbe, a suspect standing trial over the murder of Mr.  Soboma George, ex commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has called for his release on the grounds that the real killer of George has confessed to the killing

This demand followed the revelation of  Mr. Anthony Pepple, a suspected militant kidnapper, now singing in the custody of the Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), on how he masterminded the murder of George. Pepple confessed to have organized George’s murder because the deceased murdered his uncle.

George was shot dead in 2010, in Port Harcourt barely one year after he embraced the amnesty programme offered by the former president of Nigeria, Umaro Yar 'Adua’s led administration.

The murder of George led to the arrest of  Doubra Ogbe, Emmanuel Gladstone and Pere Matthew. These suspects have been standing trial for the murder of George since 2010.

Elder ThankGod Ogbe, the father of Doubra, said that the real killer of  George was paraded by the Rivers State police Command, and that he confessed to the killing.

He said it makes no sense for his son to remain in custody since 2010 and be tried for a crime committed by another suspect. Ogbe pleaded with the trial judge to set his son free.

The Rivers State Police Command at the weekend paraded Anthony Pepple alias Urban Gorilla, as the suspected killer of George.

Pepple was paraded alongside another notorious criminal, Shakeed Adekunle, a.k.a. Black Devil, after their arrest by IRT on April 17.

Pepple confessed to have masterminded the killing of the late ex-militant leader.

The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zaki Mohammed Ahmed, said: “ Urban Gorilla and Black Devil had been in our wanted list and open to arrest. Anthony Pepple, a.k.a. Urban Gorilla confessed to have masterminded the cold blooded murder of Soboma George, a militant commander sometime in 2009. He also confessed to being the leader of a kidnap syndicate.”  

Ogbe whose son is been detained at Ikot Ekpene Prison, in  Akwa-Ibom State, said his son had suffered so much for a crime he did not commit. He also appealed to the Federal and state governments to intervene and ensure that his son does not remain in prison.

His words: “I’m here to plead with both state and Federal government, including the security agents to assist my son to get out of the prison. He is innocent, right from the day he was arrest he had been telling the court and the police that he is innocent. You cannot hold or detain a man for a crime someone else committed. I don’t have money to make case; he has been in detention since 2010. God has been my strength, if not, I would have been a death person.”