Amuka: Police Yet to Rule out Insider Connection, Continue Discrete Investigations

• Publisher responding to treatment, as police track stolen phones
• NUJ calls for thorough investigation

Chiemelie Ezeobi

Following the attack on the publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu, last Sunday, THISDAY yesterday gathered that the police are yet to rule out insider connection on the unfortunate incident.

This is just as Amuka, who was injured and robbed by the five-man gang that invaded his Anthony Village home in Lagos State, is responding to treatment.

Already, the discrete investigations by the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, is said to be yielding results as they have been able to track the vcitim’s stolen phones.

THISDAY gathered that the police using its cutting-edge technology, have been able to locate the area where the stolen phones are being used and would soon swoop on the main culprits.

It was also gathered that the police have kept the two private security guards, who were simply identified as Njoku and Francis, in custody for further questioning.

According to an impeccable police source, the continuous detention of the duo was because the command is yet to rule out insider connection.

The source said: “We are looking at the attack beyond what the physical eyes can see. This is not the first time he (Amuka) would be attacked.

“The other time he was attacked, he was about to travel and had withdrawn money to that effect and the robbers struck.

“This time around, he was about to travel to South Africa and had both naira and dollars at home in preparation for the trip. They struck again.

“So we are trying to get the brains behind this. For now, we conducted a raid of the area and have been able to arrest some likely suspects.

“We are already profiling them. At this stage, we are putting our forensic lab to use. We are running a fingerprint test on them to see if the machine can pick up anything.”

Meanwhile, sources close to the publisher said he was responding to treatment, adding that “although he is still in the hospital, he is better than he was last Sunday after the attack.”

Meanwhile the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has condemned in strong terms the attack on Amuka.

According to NUJ, it is a matter of serious security concern that publishers and journalists are now subject of attacks in recent times by armed robbers and hoodlums.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Deji Elumoye, and Assistant Secretary, Mr. Alfred Odifa, Lagos NUJ canvassed for a thorough probe of the armed robbery attack on the veteran journalist in a residential area without security personnel blinking an eyelid

It therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Solomon Arase, and the state Commissioner of Police, Owoseni, to urgently investigate the incident, fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The union wondered why the police had not taken any concrete step to secure the resident of Amuka “since this is the second attack by bandits on the house of the publisher in less than two years.