Slain DPO: Gang Buried 2Baba In Shallow Grave – Police

In a significant development, the notorious cult leader Gift Okpara, widely known as ‘2Baba’, met his end in a joint security operation conducted on Monday in the Embrass community of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Rivers State.

The police confirmed on Friday that they had recovered his decomposing body, marking the conclusion of a manhunt for the wanted Iceland cult figure.

Okpara, who had been the prime suspect in the brutal murder of former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ahoada Division, Bako Angbashim, on September 8, 2023, in Odiemudie community, Ahoada East, was finally located.

The late DPO was ambushed, killed, and dismembered in a gruesome act orchestrated by 2Baba’s feared gang, who also filmed the heinous crime and fled with Angbashim’s decapitated body.

Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, while addressing the media in Port Harcourt on Friday, detailed the discovery and exhumation of Okpara’s body from a shallow grave, revealing the culmination of persistent efforts by the police to track down the gang leader and his associates.

The retrieval of 2Baba’s body from the police headquarters on Moscow Road on Friday morning was met with a dramatic scene as police officers, visitors, and journalists converged to witness the arrival of the terror’s remains, which were transported in a white Hilux vehicle at approximately 11:07 am.

Disu said, “On Friday, February 23, 2024, based on credible information, our tactical operatives successfully located the shallow grave of Gift Okpara, also known as 2Baba, a notorious Iceland cult leader in Ebrass, Ahoada West, Rivers State. We were able to recover the corpse of 2Baba, who was responsible for the brutal murder of the former DPO of Ahaoda Division, the late SP Bako Angbashim, who was killed on September 8, 2023, in Odumude community, Ahaoda East Local Government Area.

“After 2Baba died, members of his gang went away with his body. And they were moving from one part of Ahoada East to the other evading arrest. Finally, because we kept the place cordoned, they were not able to move out of that area so they had no choice other than to take him further into the Ebrass forest in Ahoada West.

“They took him far inside the Ebrass Forest, dug a shallow grave, and buried him there. It took us time, work, and intelligence to be able to locate the place. He (his body) was found in the grave.

“Yesterday (Thursday) at about 7 pm, our officers finally had access to where the body was buried. They found the place with no grass on it, and identified it immediately.

“They (cultists) put some bottles of alcoholic drink on it (the grave); maybe they used it for some rituals before they left. They left an army camouflage on the burial site, making it very easy for us to identify at the end of the day.

“It took officers over one hour to access the area and over another one hour to come out of the forest. The press (media) put us on our toes; you asked questions every second and talked about it on your respective media platforms. The question you asked me every time was: Where is 2Baba? I think today we have been able to put it to rest.”

Disu commended the Nigerian Air Force for its support, including its aerial strike on 2baba’s camp on February 10, 2024, which resulted in significant casualties in the gang and facilitated subsequent operations of the police.

He also thanked the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for his support and invaluable advice throughout the operation.

He said, “The Air Force came and assisted to soften the ground and made it easy for the police component to have access into 2Baba’s camp. Furthermore, the Rivers State Police Command acknowledges and thanks the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fabura, for his unwavering support throughout this operation. His commitment to maintaining law and order in our state is commendable.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of Ahoada West, Ben Eke, who identified the corpse of the notorious cult leader, commended the police for the feat.

He said, “To the best of my knowledge, this is 2Baba. From the photographs, from the tattoo on his left hand and the photographs we have been seeing, this is 2Baba. My people are happy. At least businesses can now thrive, everybody is happy.”