Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a police inspector on guard duty at the private residence of an Imo State commissioner, while the officer's stolen service rifle remains missing and a third suspect, described as the mastermind, is still at large.
The victim, Inspector Henry Effiong, was attached to the Department of Operations of the Imo State Police Command and was deployed to protect the home of the Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Investment, Chief Rex Anunobi. The attack occurred in the early hours of Monday, September 14, 2026, at No. 1 Sokom Villa, Area E, New Owerri. The police situation report stated that the commissioner was alerted at about 7:00 a.m. by his housekeeper, Solomon Uzobu, who discovered that the officer assigned to the residence had been killed. Anunobi contacted the police at about 8:00 a.m., prompting the Divisional Police Officer of the New Owerri Division to mobilise officers to the scene.
What the officers found was a scene of calculated violence. Effiong was dead inside his room, his legs tied, his body positioned towards the bathing area. Investigators believe a sharp object, suspected to be a machete, was used in the attack. His service rifle was gone. His mobile phone was also taken. Recovered from the scene were an empty magazine and a walkie-talkie, which were handed over to the Area Commander for Operations.
The suspects arrested at the scene have been identified as Olivia Patrick, 31, and ThankGod Mourice, 25. The Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Okoye Henry, confirmed the arrests and said the suspects were already telling investigators what they knew. He also disclosed that the command was on the trail of a third person believed to be the mastermind of the crime.
But the police's own report raises a more troubling question than the identities of the two people already in custody. Investigators suspect that a security guard attached to the residence, identified only as Genesis, a native of Taraba State, may have facilitated the killers' entry. Genesis reportedly packed his belongings, switched off his mobile phone and fled the premises shortly after the attack. His disappearance has heightened suspicion that he played a role in the killing, though the police have not concluded that he is culpable.
The Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, directed a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing and the arrest of all those responsible. In compliance with that directive, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigations Department, alongside the DPO of New Owerri Division, visited the scene. Examinations were conducted, exhibits were secured, and the deceased's remains were deposited at the mortuary. The case has been transferred to the SCID for further investigation. The CP directed the investigating team to ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted in accordance with the law. He described the incident as a painful reminder of the risks and sacrifices police officers face while performing their duties, and commiserated with Effiong's family, assuring them that the command would ensure justice is served.
The killing is the second recent high-profile attack on a security detail attached to a senior government official. A few weeks earlier, an aide to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, was killed at the minister's country home. The recurrence has raised questions about the safety of officers assigned to protect public officials and their residences, particularly in the South-East, where attacks on security personnel have become a recurring feature of the region's insecurity.
The Imo State Police Command has said the situation in the state is under control and that appropriate security measures have been put in place to protect lives and property. Residents have been urged to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist the ongoing investigation. The command said further developments would be communicated as the investigation progresses.
For the family of Inspector Henry Effiong, the wait for answers has begun. A police officer assigned to protect a commissioner's home was killed inside that home, with his legs tied, while the guard who was supposed to be watching the gate has vanished. The rifle that was taken from his body is still missing. The mastermind the police are looking for is still free. The two people in custody may provide the key to what happened, but they are not the whole story. The question that lingers in Owerri is not just who killed Inspector Effiong, but how a compound with a police guard, a security man and a housekeeper became a place where a machete-wielding killer could operate undisturbed.
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