The Police Intelligence Unit set out by Inspector General of Police has on Monday paraded 12 suspected criminals in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers state as they were caught in their hide outs located at Aluu town and Isiokpo all in Ikwerre LGA. The IGP Police Monitoring Team were said to have invaded the Omuike and Omigwe communities where the first set of a 7-man armed robbery gang were using as their operational base. And the robbery suspects were said to have first opened fire upon sighting the Police men. But the superior fire power of the IGP Monitoring team at last overwhelmed the 7-man gang that included Dukori Promise, Ebuka Agugu, Junior Victor Amadi, Joshua Olapade, Lekan Isiakan, Kanuchi Owen and Tope Segun who were immediately arrested as few of them escaped with bullet wounds. And some cache of ammunition were recovered from the hoodlums.
Parading the suspects on Monday 6th of August, 2018 at Police Command Headquarters, in Port Harcourt, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Benneth Igwe, in charge of the IGP Monitoring Unit, said “information about the hideout of the armed robbers, terrorizing Aluu community, the IGP Unit swing into action and the hoodlums on sighting the operatives opened fire. During the exchange of gun battle, the armed robbers were humbled by the superior fire power of the men of the unit, and seven of the robbers were arrested while others escaped with bullet wound.”
In a similar vein the police intelligence unit also arrested five armed robbery suspects over attack on the properties of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority in Isiokpo, same Local Government Area of the state It was further gathered that one Pump Action gun and locally made pistol were recovered from the 5-man gang as investigation is on-going to apprehend others who are at large.
Those suspected armed robbers at Isiokpo were arrested at gun point, stole two big generators and a vehicle, properties of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority. The suspects are, Ndidi Elechi, Justice Alozie, Bernard Paul, Eric Ogwudile and Ihuoma Johnson.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police -DCP Igwe further stated that, “The vision of IGP Ibrahim Idris, to make Nigeria a crime free nation and has spurred us into moving into different areas to make sure the area remain safe for Nigerian. The arrest of these (suspected) robbers, they attacked us, they came to Aluu here in Rivers not too far from us to come and start robbing. They have been using Aluu as their den but we burst them.
“The other incident is the Isiokpo robbery. We want to make sure that we enter everywhere in Rivers State and its environs, Akwa Ibom , Imo, Abia, Bayelsa. We are moving around to save the environment all form of criminality. By the Grace of God, the area is safe and will be safer when we finish the crime operation we are doing now. There is no crime now that police cannot handle in the country no matter the level of crime.”
However the suspects maybe charged to court after the conclusion of investigation by the Police in Rivers state.