ANGER is brewing in Warri, Delta State over the shooting to death of two musicians, Tony Omoro and a fellow band man, Fidelis Amani, by soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Effurun, also in Delta over allegations that they threatened to abduct a hotelier and businessman, Chief Jonathan Governor.
The duo were allegedly lured to the hotel owned by Chief Governor, who had reported to the police that they threatened to kill him if he did not pay a certain sum of money. They were arrested and later killed by soldiers last Tuesday.
Yesterday, the family members of the deceased and members of the Niger Delta Salvation Front led by Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, protested the alleged extra judicial murder of the musicians, saying that soldiers of the 3rd Battalion killed the two musicians ignorantly.
Lt Col. Ifeanyi Out, Commander of the 3rd Battalion while confirming the death of the two men, alleged that they were killed while escaping with a bag containing ransom money.
But the solicitors to the family of the deceased, Festus Keyamo Chambers, yesterday alleged illegality in the murder, saying they were neither kidnappers nor assassins as alleged by the military authorities in Warri, but were set up and murdered.
According to Barrister Matthew Omonade of Keyamo Chambers: "We were shocked to read a sponsored story saying that Tony Omoro was a kidnapper and an assassin and that he was killed as he tried to escape to escape with ransom money. Let the military authorities tell us where in Ekpan that the incident took place. We have reliable information that Tony Omoro is a renowned musician and not a kidnapper.
"We are writing petition to the appropriate agencies to ensure that justice is done. We have had several cases where innocent people have been extra judicially murdered.
"There was an allegation of an attempt to kidnap, there was no kidnap incident. The police should have been called in to investigate the matter and not to lure the suspects to the hotel of the chief who reported the matter, where they were taken away and killed. It was a calculated attempt to murder Tony Omoro and Fidelis Amani," Omonade said.
He demanded that the soldiers who were used as instruments in the killing of the two men should be prosecuted along with Chief Governor, who was never abducted.
