An officer on the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Immigration (ASI1) with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Luka Solomon, is still in service two years after killing Dayal Zephanial, his colleague, with a dagger.
FIJ learnt from a reliable source within the service that while Solomon was suspended after the incident, he is still recognised as an officer.
The source stated that despite his suspension, the officer was spotted in Port Harcourt in October 2024 writing promotional exams meant for serving officers. This was at the same time he was meant to be on trial for Zephanial’s death.
He further noted that because the ASI1 was suspended and not dismissed, it made it difficult for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to effectively prosecute him.
“When the incident happened, the NIS was supposed to dismiss Solomon and hand him over to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for trial,” the source stated.
“But for some reason, they chose to suspend him instead. And because he is on suspension, the police said they can’t prosecute Solomon, as he is still in service, even though they are done with their investigations.
“The police further said that they had to release Solomon because he had overstayed in their custody, and his continued detention could stir up human rights violation issues. This, the police said, included the cost of feeding him in detention and ensuring his well-being.”
The insider stated that the police were particularly concerned about prosecuting him for murder while his dismissal from service was yet to be finalised.
In a statement released by the NIS on November 20, the service listed Solomon as one of the 64 officers invited for questioning before its Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee (SSDC) on November 28.
The officers were to appear for various offences, and Solomon’s own was listed as murder.
KILLED OVER A CONCUBINE
On May 19, 2023, at about noon, Solomon and Zephanial were at the barracks in Oron Control Post, Oron, when an argument ensued between the two of them.
Solomon, a senior officer, is in the marine patrol unit under the Akwa-Ibom State NIS Command, while the deceased worked in the Border Patrol Unit but didn’t directly report to the command.
According to FIJ’s source, the senior colleague was hunched over a meal when he accused the deceased of hanging out with his mistress owing to his wife’s visit to the state.
“Solomon’s wife had come to visit him in Oron, so he no longer had the time to move freely with this mistress. Meanwhile, Zephanial, on the other hand, was seeing the same woman, which angered his senior colleague,” the insider said.
The insider noted that those around tried to separate them, but Solomon managed to stab the junior officer on the neck with his dagger.
“By the time he was taken to the hospital, he was declared dead on arrival.”
NOW WALKING FREE
After the murder, Solomon was remanded at Ikot Ekpene Prison within the state, and more than one year later, he sat for a promotional exam.
Zephanial, who is from Plateau State, has since been buried, but FIJ understands that his wife has now been given an appointment in the service as compensation.
Meanwhile, there are claims that Solomon has now been promoted to the rank of a Deputy Superintendent (DSI), making him a three-star officer from his previous two-star rank. But FIJ could not independently verify this.
On Friday, FIJ texted ASI1 Rowland Ekoh, the spokesperson of the Akwa-Ibom NIS Command, for comments on why Solomon is still in service and the outcome of the SSDC.
In his response, he said that the case had been forwarded to the service headquarters for disciplinary actions. He also referred our reporter to the headquarters for further inquiries.
“To the best of my knowledge, the above case was forwarded to the Service Headquarters for further senior disciplinary actions,” Ekoh told FIJ.
“I will suggest you visit the service’s headquarters for further inquiries, Ma’am.”
FIJ also sent an email to the NIS official email address on Friday morning for comments on Solomon’s discipline, but no response has been received at press time.
FIJ then called Timfon Efon, the spokesperson of the Akwa-Ibom State Police Command, for a reaction on the officer’s release and his prosecution, but she didn’t take the two calls placed to her on Monday. A follow-up WhatsApp message is yet to be responded to.
Except for the altered headline, this story was originally written and published by Foundation For Investigative Journalism (FIJ)
