The reason behind the shooting of 23 worshippers returning from church on New Year day at Omuku, Rivers State, by notorious kidnapper and militant leader, Don Waney, has been disclosed.
The killing was to teach the vigilance group in the area a lesson, over the arrest of Don Waney’s mother and alleged destruction of his property.
The disclosure was made on Thursday in Abuja by a top member of the group, one 32-year old Desmond Okotubo.
Okotubo who was paraded at the police headquarters in Abuja on Thursday said the attack plot was hatched in Owerri, Imo State.
He said, however, the plan was not originally to kill worshippers, but that the attack only went the wrong way.
His words: “It was Don Waney that did it. We followed Don Waney and he has a group that he gave gun to shoot called Red Squad.
“I did not hold any gun and I don’t know about it but he has a group called Red Squad.
“The Red Squad members are from Imo and Rivers states and they are the ones that shoot and kill.
“I know those that shot and killed those people. I know many people that belong to the party.”
It would be recalled that Igwedibia Johnson, popularly known as Don Waney was shot dead on Saturday by a joint force of Nigeria’s security agencies in Enugu.
Waney was the mastermind of the killing carried out on New Years day in Omuku, Rivers State.
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Announcing the feat achieved by the security agencies, the outgoing General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Port Harcourt, Maj.- Gen. Enobong Udoh, said:
“We are happy to inform that Don Waney, a notorious cultist, kidnap kingpin and mass murderer who masterminded the murder of 23 worshippers returning from cross over service is dead.
“We traced Waney and some of his gang members to their hideout in Enugu town where they rented apartment and lived with other people in the neighbourhood like normal people.
“The criminals were killed after a combined team of troops of 82 Division Army, Enugu and personnel of Department of State Security (DSS) raided his hideout to arrest him and his members.”
The corpses and arms and ammunition of the deceased gang members were paraded on Sunday in Port Harcourt.
