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By Joel Anekwe, Port Harcourt
The Six Division of the Nigerian Army has denied claims that ex-militant leader, Don Wanny, was killed in a raid by men of the division, saying that Wanny was not home when security forces raided his home in the early hours of Monday.
Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, confirmed that Don Wanny was alive, but said that efforts were on to arrest and bring him to justice, adding that “the raid on Don Wanny’s camp followed tip off from patriotic citizens.”
Col. Iliyaso said that seven suspects, including two females were arrested while they were trying to escape the camp. He also said that many of the suspects escaped through the Orashi River in Omoku when the army raided their hide out.
He added that the troop recovered human skulls, various bones, 18 AK-47 riffles, military camouflage, radio, 50 kilograms of cannabis, among other items from both the camp and shrine
The army statement described Don Wanny, whose real name is Igwe Dibia Johnson, as a notorious militant, cultist, kidnapper, hardened illegal oil bunkerer, adding that he had been terrorizing the Omoku area as well as the people of Rivers and Bayelsa states as well.
Community members in Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, ONELGA, of Rivers State had trooped out in their hundreds to celebrate the rumoured death of the suspected kidnap kingpin, Don Wanny, following the intense military raid on his camp.
As the rumour sparked off that Don Wanny who together with his gang had held the community hostage had been killed in the raid, there was wide jubilation among many residents who trooped to the local government council secretariat in Omoku to see if they could confirm the story of his death.
Some of the residents hailed the determination of the security outfit to fight crime in the area.
One of the residents said: “People have been having sleepless nights for three years. At least now, people can sleep. Because of the presence of security men, people who ran away from the area since three years ago are coming back, including me. There was this news around 12 am that the terror in ONELGA is gone. We have been in the council since 6am to see and witness the dead body
Meanwhile, Don Wanny, who is also a suspected deadly cultist officially accepted the amnesty program of the Rivers State government in October last year and submitted a large cache of sophisticated weapons to the amnesty committee.
The amnesty programme gave him immunity from prosecution from all of the heinous crimes he and members of his gang had committed.
The suspect who also led a group called Aggrieved Youths of Orashi was accused of murder, kidnapping, and destruction of oil facilities within and outside Rivers State. Less than a year after he accepted the amnesty deal, he was accused of returning to crime. He had denied these allegations at a time.
