Police in Rivers State, southern Nigeria, have identified the suspect who detonated dynamite near the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, two months ago.
Police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, revealed this in a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday.
Mrs. Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, identified the suspect as Preye Josiah alias Metusah, aged 40. He hails from Kabiama community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Background
The suspect sustained life-threatening injuries after he allegedly detonated dynamite near the Presidential Hotel on June 25 during a protest march in solidarity with former Governor Nyesom Wike, now FCT Minister, who has been in a protracted political battle against his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, for control of the political structure in the state.
The protest came after Fubara dissolved Wike-backed local government elected officials after their three-year term expired and replaced them with a caretaker committee.
Mr Josiah's condition was unknown after the incident, but hours later the state health commissioner said he was “stable” and receiving treatment at a state hospital.
In a statement released on Sunday, police said: “Mr Josiah has undergone three major surgeries and has made significant recovery and will soon be charged in a court of competent jurisdiction after investigations are completed.”
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The suspect, police said, has been evading arrest for over a decade over his alleged involvement in high-profile bank robberies led by Daniel Gogo between 2012 and 2016, where weapons including “three AK-47 rifles, one Lar rifle, 360 rounds of live ammunition, 20 magazines, five dynamites, two pistols, one rifle service kit and three exotic cars were recovered in Bayelsa State by operatives of the then IGP-IRT.”
Mr Josiah, a member of the feared Vikings Confraternity cult group, is an expert in detonating dynamite for the group, police said.