The victim at the centre of a murder probe in Greater Manchester has been named and pictured, as his family issue a heartbreaking tribute.
Zikel Bobmanuel, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene of an incident on Welland Street, Openshaw at around 2pm on Saturday 25 March. It’s believed he died as a result of gunshot wounds.
Zikel was a father, the youngest of his children just six weeks old.
His family said in a tribute that he was their ‘pride and joy’ and that he had been working hard to provide for his family.
Describing the devoted father, they said: “Zikel was many things to many people, he was a good friend, a hard-working colleague, part of a large extended family, but ultimately, he was his mother’s son, her pride and joy.
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“He held the heart of his girlfriend in his hand and was a hands on father to his beloved children, the youngest just 6 weeks old.
“Zikel was happy and fulfilled, he was working hard to provide for his family and was never more content than when he was spending time with them.
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“It is difficult to comprehend that Zikel has died under such tragic circumstances and the shock is profound.
“We are devastated beyond belief and find it hard to comprehend life without him.
“We would like to thank everybody for their kind words and the comfort their support has given us and respectfully ask for some privacy at this difficult time.”
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Detective Superintendent Simon Hurst said: “Our thoughts are with Zikel’s loved ones at this heart-breaking time. As our investigation continues, specially trained colleagues are supporting them.
“Since [Saturday] afternoon, we continue to build an in-depth timeline of events leading up to Zikel’s death and we are following a number of positive lines of enquiry. Although we currently have one man in custody, work is ongoing to ensure that those involved are brought to justice.
“I would like to thank members of the public that have already shared information with us. Any information, regardless of how small, may be the key to receiving answers for Zikel’s family.
“Whilst officers are gathering evidence from the scene and the surrounding area, anyone with information, CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage is asked to contact police via 101 quoting incident 1771 25/3/2023. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
“Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
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A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident in Openshaw.
Detectives are appealing for any information, especially relating to a second suspect who is believed to have fled the scene in a vehicle shortly afterwards and any CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage should be sent over to police as this may be crucial to the investigation
Zikel’s family ask for privacy at this time.
Featured image: GMP
News
Police warn criminals ‘don’t bother’ attending Parklife after already making arrest
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police have said that criminals shouldn’t ‘bother’ coming to Parklife festival this weekend, after already making an arrest at the festival site.
Officers have been carrying out searches of people arriving on site this week – and have already arrested a 24-year-old man.
A quantity of pills and a knife were both recovered from the man, who has been arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs and possession of a bladed article.
After the arrest, Superintendent Phil Spurgeon issued a statement to criminals, saying ‘don’t bother coming to Parklife’.
He said: “We have a really robust police and partnership community safety operation for the festival, and the arrest and seizure yesterday demonstrates the vigilance of security staff, our thorough search procedures and our commitment to keeping people safe.
Parklife Festival, and (right) the suspected Class A drugs seized this week by police. Credit: GMP
“Make no mistake, illegal items such as weapons and drugs can have fatal consequences. Our top priority this weekend is keeping people safe, and anyone caught trying to take such items into the festival will be robustly dealt with.
“I hope the genuine festival-goers are excited for the fantastic weekend ahead and I am confident the majority will enjoy the event responsibly and safely.”
Greater Manchester Police and Parklife security staff will be working closely together to intercept anyone travelling to the festival with criminal intentions.
The arrest on 8 June was thanks to the festival’s drug detection dogs.
University of Manchester hit by cyber attack with ‘data likely copied’ by unauthorised party
Emily Sergeant
The University of Manchester (UoM) has confirmed that it has today become “the victim of a cyber incident”.
In a formal statement addressing the situation, the city‘s flagship further education institution says some of its systems have been accessed by an “unauthorised party” and that data has “likely been copied” as a result of this.
The University’s in-house experts are said to be “working around the clock” to resolve the issue.
External support teams are also said to be working in collaboration with the University to understand what data has been accessed.
Patrick Hackett – Registrar, Secretary, and Chief Operating Officer at the University of Manchester – explained in a statement issued this morning: “Regrettably, I have to share with you the news that the University is the victim of a cyber incident, [as] it has been confirmed that some of our systems have been accessed by an unauthorised party and data have likely been copied.
“Our in-house experts and established expert external support are working around the clock to resolve this incident, and we are working to understand what data has been accessed”.
— The University of Manchester (@OfficialUoM) June 9, 2023
Mr Hackett said he understands the nature of the issue will “cause concern to members of our community”, and says the University is “very sorry for this”.
The University says it is also working with relevant authorities – including the Information Commissioner’s Office, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Crime Agency, and other regulatory bodies – to resolve the issue, and will provide information to those affected as soon as they are able to.
Students and staff are also be told to be vigilant to any suspicious phishing emails within the coming days – with the University’s IT Services team having published some relevant advice to refer to.
Daisy Jackson -
27th March 2023 
