By Tina Amanda
Peter ‘Daddy’ Chukwu, a.k.a Oboni, a notorious gangster and the executioner general of the Iceland cult group in Mgbuoshimini community in Obio Akpor local government area, Rivers State, has been neutralized by the Rivers State Police Command.
The infamous criminal who is a native of Omoku in Rivers State and a fierce loyalist to the ill-famed cultist and kidnap kingpin, the late Johnson Igwedibia popularly known as ‘Don Waney: was apprehended on 5 April 2024, in Asaba Delta State by the intelligence response team of Rivers State Police Command and Delta state Police Command.
Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, CP Olatunji Disu in a press briefing on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Police headquarters Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, said the cult leader was trailed to his hideout in Delta State in the house of his spiritualist where he went to fortify himself, after escaping from the Police in a hotel in Igwuruta, Rivers state on March 6, 2024.
CP Disu said the hoodlum put up a serious resistance but was overpowered by the Police’s superior firepower which resulted in his death.
“Peter ‘Daddy’ Chukwu, a.k.a Oboni, was a notorious gangster whose criminal enterprise was multi-faceted, bordering on cultism, kidnapping, murder, and assassination, among other crimes. He rose to prominence in 2017 when he was made the executioner-general of the Iceland cult group in the Mgbuoshimini community of Rivers State. This role was conferred on him by the notorious cultist and kidnap kingpin, Johnson Igwedibia, popularly known as ‘Don Waney’.
“Peter Chukwu built a base of operation in Mgbuoshimini, a suburb in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State, from where he recruited an army of young men who carried out his whims to the letter. With a massive following of cultists behind him, he launched a syndicate that served as assassins for hire, armed robbers, and gun runners.
“He always had a hit list that included persons who had offended or challenged him, those he considered a threat, and those he had been paid to assassinate. Such was the nature of his villainous mind that at the mentioning of his name, people trembled.
“As his acclaim grew, he became a menacing presence in the community and began wreaking havoc indiscriminately. On May 6, 2017, he murdered the secretary of the Rumueme Council of Chiefs, Chief Minikwu Chukwu, and one Jaja Optimist while they were gathering for a routine town meeting. Within the same month, he executed another community leader, Chief Mgbor.
“He continued his onslaught on those he had earmarked for destruction, and on July 30, 2017, Baridule Cletus Dunle was shot dead, while on October 4, 2017, Godspower Aligbo and Dickson Gogo-Jaja had their lives snuffed out by his men.
“On October 9, 2017, at about 3 am, he and his gang attacked the abattoir area of the Mgbuoshimini community and murdered 22 people in cold blood, burning some of their victims alive. This act caused the Police to declare him, and eight (8) others wanted. Consequently, he fled the community and went into hiding.
“He, however, resurfaced in 2023 and began another reign of terror. He set up another base in Mgbuoshimini as his previous base had been demolished after the crises that followed the massacre he perpetrated in 2017.
“On his return, he arrogated himself the position of chief adjudicator in the community and would frequently force people with disputes to appear before him. On one such occasion on January 2, 2023, he seized two residents of the community, Sunny Amadi and Victor Alabo, who he alleged had stolen phones. They were promptly brought before him, and subjected to torture through binding and severe beatings. He then proceeded to use a razor to chop off their ears.
“Two days after the mutilation of the two men, on January 4, 2023, he invited Grace Asuquo to appear before him because he had received reports that she had stolen a phone. She did not honor his invitation for fear of his irrationality, which offended him. He commanded his boys to arrest her and bring her before him. When she was brought before him, he tortured her for a long time, eventually murdering her. He dumped her lifeless body in front of her father’s compound.
“Peter ‘Daddy’ Chukwu was also complicit in assassinations for hire. His gang was contracted to assassinate one Victor Golor, and in two attempts on December 12, 2023, and January 6, 2024, they failed to exterminate the target. However, on the 6th of March 2024, they succeeded in detonating explosives at the target’s hotel after installing a digital Apple tracker in his Toyota Hilux truck. Such was his sophistication that he had a network of informants at his beck and call and used tracking devices to tail potential victims.
CP Disu however noted that the deceased became a serious concern to the Police Command when he murdered the Community Development Council (CDC) Chairman of Mgbuoshimini, Ndidi Livingstone.
“Daddy became an item of deep interest to the current commissioner of police, Rivers State Police Command, Olatunji Disu, when, on the 13th of January, he and his murderous band shot and killed the Community Development Council (CDC) Chairman of Mgbuoshimini, Ndidi Livingstone, as he was stepping out of the auditorium of Peculiar Faith Ministries, Rumueme after a church service.
“After the dastardly act, they sped off in a waiting black SUV which the police have now recovered. The notorious gangster killed the CDC chairman because he collaborated with other stakeholders in establishing a local vigilante group known as OSPAC, aimed at safeguarding the community.
“During a visit to the widow and family of the slain community leader, the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, directed a nationwide manhunt for the killers. Thus, an extensive search for them began. The manhunt narrowed when investigations and intelligence revealed that Peter ‘Daddy’ Chukwu was the mastermind behind the killings.
“After learning of the location of his hideout, on March 16, 2024, at about 1 a.m., operatives of a special task force of the Rivers State Police Command, comprising of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and operatives of the state command, attempted to arrest him. The suspect narrowly escaped by bursting through the ceiling and roofing sheets of the hotel, where he was cornered. He later jumped into a nearby compound and ran off, evading arrest.
“In his scramble to escape, he left behind his personal effects, including a hit list containing names of his next victims and other vital documents and gadgets that gave the Police a clear picture of the extent of sophistication he operated with. This necessitated the urgency in arresting the notorious criminal.
“Following his close shave with the authorities, he fled to Asaba in Delta State. He remained in hiding before returning briefly to Port Harcourt, where he boasted about his invincibility and the power of his charms. He returned to Delta, where he began plotting to kill the investigating police officers and to launch attacks on police facilities to free his arrested associates.
“Undeterred by the notorious gangster’s initial escape, on April 5, 2024, around 4 am, a coordinated team launched an assault on his hideout. The team, comprising the Rivers State Command Tactical Team and the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), advanced to Delta to locate the criminal’s hideout. With support from the Delta State Commissioner of Police, operatives from the command joined the conclusive operation, resulting in the neutralization of the suspect following a fierce operation.
“He was tracked down and apprehended in Ibusa, Delta State, and found in a herbalist’s home where he sought spiritual fortification. Upon realizing the presence of security forces surrounding the premises, Peter Daddy Chukwu fiercely resisted and attempted to flee. He put up a fierce resistance, and in an attempt to escape, he was fatally wounded and succumbed to the injury before arriving at the hospital”.
CP Disu thanked the Inspector General of Police, Delta State Commissioner of Police, and officers of Rivers State Police Command for their contribution to the killing of the notorious cultist.
Items recovered are tinted Black Toyota Highlander, AK 47 riffle, Pump Action gun, IED, and Camouflages of Police and Army were recovered from the hoodlum.
A representative of Mgbuoshimini community Livingston Wechie thanked CP Disu and the IGP for the timely intervention.
Wechie appealed to the CP that he should not relent in taking further steps to eradicate crime and criminality in the community.
Our correspondent reports that many residents of the community trooped to the Police headquarters to cheer the Police for the great achievement.
