Ex-cop, tagged in drugs by Duterte, shot dead in Cebu

Former Senior Police Officer 1 Ronilo Nabua, who was tagged in drugs by President Duterte, was shot dead inside his house in Cebu, by a man who had been staying in his house for a month. (ADOR VINCENT MAYOL/ INQUIRER VISAYAS)

CEBU CITY — A retired policeman, who was earlier named as a drug trade protector by President Rodrigo Duterte, was shot dead on Wednesday morning, inside his residence in Barangay Vito, Minglanilla town, southern Cebu.

Former senior police officer 1 Ronilo Nabua suffered a gunshot wound in the head and was declared dead on arrival at the Cebu South General Hospital in nearby Naga City, Cebu.

PO3 Alfredo Pagaling of the Minglanilla Police Station, citing initial reports of investigators, said Nabua was just outside his house, walking to enter his living room when the suspect, identified as a certain Rebak, shot him in the head using a .45-pistol.

The assailant also shot Dario Cellote, who was repairing Nabua’s vehicle.

Cellote was being attended to by physicians at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Pagaling said the suspect had been staying in Nabua’s house for about a month.

“We have yet to determine what prompted the suspect to kill SPO2 Nabua,” Pagaling said.

Nabua became a policeman in 1986 and availed of an optional retirement on Dec. 31, 2008. He was among the police officers identified as a drug coddler by President Duterte.

Rebak fled and remains at large, as of this posting.  SFM