A magistrate court sitting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, has ordered the remand of a 35-year-old man, Susaine Morgan over an alleged attempt to assassinate the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri in Ekeremor town in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The remand warrant, issued by the State Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, and filed in court by the Police Prosecutor, ASP Stella A. Jerry-Friday, was approved by the magistrate to allow the suspect to be detained for 30 days at the Correctional Service Center at Okaka, to allow the police investigating team to arrest six others now at large.
The suit filed by the Police with reference number YMC/51C/2025 prayed for the detention of the suspect over the kidnap and assassination attempt on Senator Lokpobiri and unlawful possession of firearms.
According to the charges, “the defendant was arrested in the afternoon hours of 1st January 2025 in Senator Heineken Lokpobiri’s residence at Ekeremor Town in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, for offences of conspiracy, armed robbery, attempt to kidnap and unlawful possession of firearms (two AK47).”
A Police source stated that the request for remand of the suspect was made due to the police’s limited power to keep the suspect in detention without an order by the court, “as an investigation is ongoing to track the six other suspects at large.”
Police sources on Monday – today, January 20 – confirmed that such a request is normal, explaining that if the suspect is granted bail, “there is the likelihood that he will interfere with police investigation due to the serious nature of the case and other fleeing cohorts yet to be arrested will be influenced and may not be arrested by the police.”
The security report of the incident indicated that seven suspected assailants using the cover of Yuletide visits by several community folks gained entry into the country home of the Minister.
However, their plans were foiled when reports filtered to the security agents on duty that there were dangerous men among the crowd leading to the arrest of Morgan while other suspects mingled with the crowd and escaped.
“They had gained entry before information filtered to the armed military men that some persons were armed and dangerous among the visitors. Due to the large crowd, the soldiers, who could not open fire, ordered everyone to lie down. It was only the arrested suspect, who was with the bag conveying the weapon, that got arrested. Others mixed up with the panicked crowd and escaped. They started shooting inside the community and attacked a filling station in anger and made away with a sum of N400,000,” security sources explained.
“They also invaded the Ekeremor town waterfront and snatched a speed boat to escape.”
The arrested suspect has since made useful statements on the persons allegedly involved and the police are on their trail, it was further gathered.
