A Police Deputy Superintendent, Wagozie Igochukwu Godwin, has narrated that his conviction and sentencing to 16 years in prison was a result of a conspiracy, Vanguard Newspaper reports.
Godwin, who spoke from prison claimed that even the court that convicted him found out that he was innocent of the charges against him, regretting that a former Minister of Finance was bent on his frustration.
The dismissed DSP, a kinsman of the Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi, from Ogbodo-Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, noted that he was being victimised for what he does not know about.
It would be recalled that there was a robbery case at the Gwarimpa area of Abuja, where a niece to the said former Minister of Finance, was killed during a gun duel between the hoodlums and police personnel.
The police DSP, Godwin, who led a police operation on distress call in the area before the gun battle was fingered in the killing and was later sentenced to 16 years in prison for not showing enough remorse to the family of the late lady.
Narrating his ordeal, Godwin said that he was innocent of the murder charge against him, noting that instead of the court to discharge and acquit him, the court convicted him of not showing remorse.
He said: “It was on the 13th of October 2018 at about 9:45 pm, there was a distress call from a hotel in Gwarimpa. The manager of a hotel called that there is a robbery incident going on there. I have to send my boys to start going to the scene of the crime.
“The people called again, but before I could pick the call my DPO, CSP Ngozi Ubani Anosike intercepted the call. Since she intercepted it I could not intercept the call again.
“I proceed to the scene while she (DPO) also left at the same time for the same scene of the crime. On getting there God helping us, we arrested two suspects and we recovered two cars, a Mercedes and Corolla. We recovered one tracking device machine and we recovered the gun.”
“Why we were taking the suspects and exhibits to the office for further interrogation we discovered that the armed robbers were six in number. The DPO told me to wait that she has called the Commander SARS for back up to enable us to go after the hoodlums and recover other vehicles.
“On that process, they started driving out of the place. I then told the driver that was with me to turn round so we could go to the entrance of the place where they are taking the cars out.
“As soon as we started going, these boys opened fire on us. We have to park our car and run into the bush then into an uncompleted building there. The place is a lonely area and nobody was outside. ”
He narrated that a lady ran out of a car and was running towards the area the hoodlums were shooting from, adding that he later shouted that she had been hit by a bullet.
Godwin said: “There was a serious gun battle between the armed robbers and the police. All of a sudden a tinted Honda car drove in and hit a parked car on the road. When the Honda hit the car, we saw a girl run out of the place where the armed robbers were shooting us from. As soon as she came out of the car she ran back to that same place.
“While she was running back, soon she started shouting that she had been hit by a bullet. The duty of the police is to protect lives and property so what we now did was when the area became calm, I and my boy took this girl to Gwarimpa General Hospital.
“On getting there we made sure that the doctor commenced first aid on her because the doctor has already said the girl has lost a lot of blood. I left my boy with them and went looking for money for blood transfusion, but before I could come back to the hospital she has already gone.”
He narrated that he knew everything that happened, but wondered why all the people involved including the suspects and exhibits recovered were released and he was the only person being victimised.
Godwin said: “The DPO came to me said we should go to her office, on entering her office we saw the former Minister of Finance, Esther Nenadi Usman, and two others.
“Immediately we entered, my DPO told the woman that this is the person that killed your daughter. The woman asked me what happened I explained to her. The next thing they said we should surrender our rifles, we surrendered that same night, they took it from us.
“On Monday they said we should look for money for autopsy, the DPO said I should look for money for the autopsy that I will be refunded. I raised money. The autopsy was carried out.
“They brought an independent investigator who carried out a forensic test and discovered that the gun that killed the girl is a Barita Pistol. Me and my boys, non of us handle Barita Pistol.
“The DPO went as far as altering the movement of arm register. She collected the register and gave it to them to enable her to actualize her plans.”
He noted that the matter has nothing to do with ENDSARS or police brutality, adding that the Minister has moved to the panel to indict him on the same matter.
He said: “To my greatest surprise, even as I am in prison here, the woman again took my name to the EndSARS panel.
“Some people have told her that this is not SARS case, but with her connection, she said she must deal with me. She is aligning with my DPO to do all of this. My DPO has been influenced by money. They are working to ensure I do not come out of prison.
“What is happening is the oppression of the poor by the rich. The woman claims she has contacts. She boasted that she will use her contact to deal with me. The woman is using the case to get sympathy. The late girl is her niece but she claims she is her daughter. This issue has nothing to do with EndSARS.”
