Daredevil gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen on Friday, February 3, 2017 killed mother-inlaw to the principal secretary to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state, Mr. Hilary Ibegbulem. The incident, which occurred along the ever busy Benin Bypass in Edo state, HardReporters reliably gathered, also claimed the live of the mobile police orderly attached to Mr. Ibegbulem who was in the vehicle while the driver and the principal secretary’s London based brother in-law were severely injured.
According to sources, the mother-inlaw to the governor’s principal secretary, her London based son, the principal secretary’s orderly were travelling from Asaba to Lagos on the official SUV vehicle of the principal secretary when they were attacked by the kidnappers along the busy Benin Bypass in Edo state, killing Okowa’s principal secretary’s mother in-law, his police orderly and allegedly carted away a whopping sum of N100 million starched in the butt of the vehicle while the driver of the vehicle and the London based son of the deceased were kidnapped.
HardReporters gathered that after few hours, the kidnappers allegedly established contact with the principal secretary and demanded for a ransom of N50 million for the release of his driver and his london based brother in-law who were in the vehicle when his mother in-law and his orderly were murdered in cold blood by the kidnappers.
A police source who confided in HardReporters said, it took the effort of the Delta state House of Assembly Anti-kidnap committee who swung into action and linked up contact with the kidnappers to effect the release of the victims after paying a million naira ransom.
As at the time of filing in this report, HardReporters reliably gathered the driver to Okowa’s principal secretary was hospitalised at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Asaba while the London based brother in-law has since returned to London.
When contacted the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Andrew Aniamaka, said that he was not aware of the incident because it occurred outside the state command but police sources in the command confirmed the incident.
Several calls put to Mr. Hilary Ibegbulem, principal secretary to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa were rebuffed.