Law-enforcement authorities in Northern Cape have clamped down on three Nigerian nationals accused of conspiring to kill police officials.
The trio – Paul Ogor Ndudiokwe, Obinna Igbokwe, and Kenneth Ozor Onurarah – are believed to be part of a group of seven suspected criminals.
They were arrested in Upington on Sunday and subsequently appeared before the Upington district court, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has confirmed.
The court heard that they allegedly colluded to execute police officials who were a threat to their business.
Mojalefa Senokoatsane, regional spokesperson for the NPA, said the allegations were revealed in an intelligence report by an unnamed witness who overheard the suspects plotting to carry out the crimes.
“[The accused] are alleged together with other suspects to have conspired in a meeting that was held at the house of one of them situated near the town in Upington, to murder certain police officers,” Senokoatsane said.
“The accused were arrested by the police after receiving an intelligence report from a witness, who heard the discussions between the suspects who are alleged drug dealers in Upington.
“During that meeting where the accused were planning to murder the policemen, it is alleged that one suspect also said that he wanted to rape the wife of one of the officers in front of him.”
The matter has been postponed to October 20 for a formal bail application.
In the meantime, Senokoatsane has confirmed that the three alleged drug dealers remain in police custody.
Sunday World reported previously that police’s war on drugs produced positive results when detectives from the Northern Cape organised crime unit confiscated drugs worth about R1-million when they pounced on an alleged drug laboratory in Kimberley.
In a statement, the Northern Cape police said at the time that the team, which was assisted by the SA Police Service’s multi-dimension organised crime unit, arrested a 43-year-old man for dealing and manufacturing the suspected drugs.
