Eighteen suspects, including a fake soldier allegedly involved in car snatching, have been arrested by the Rivers State Police Command, with 47 firearms recovered from different parts of the state in the last two months. The command also recovered 12 stolen vehicles, 102 rounds of live ammunition, five live cartridges, and 11 cutlasses within the period under review. State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this while parading some of the arrested suspects and displaying the recovered exhibits before newsmen at the command’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Adepoju said the 49-year-old fake soldier, identified as Andrew Atausi, was dressed in military uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Army colours when operatives arrested him in the Ada George axis of Port Harcourt on August 10. The commissioner noted that Atausi confessed to being a suspected serial car snatcher, with three suspected stolen vehicles recovered from him. The chassis and engine numbers of the recovered vehicles had been tampered with, and an axe and military accoutrements were also recovered from the suspect.
The police command also arrested three suspects linked to the murder of two police officers who were on stop-and-search duty on June 29 at Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state. The suspects, Maduabuchi Emeka, Chinedu Owhor, and Kamachi Joe, confessed to the crime and led the police to their hideout, where two stolen AK-47 rifles were recovered. Adepoju assured residents of the state that the command would continue to work tirelessly to stamp out crime through sustained intelligence-led, proactive, and community-oriented policing.
The command is working closely with the military, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other stakeholders to achieve this goal. Adepoju warned parents and guardians to monitor their children and warn them against cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery, and internet fraud, stating that there is no future in crime. He also assured that Rivers State would not be a safe haven for criminals, and the police would find, dismantle, and prosecute them.
The arrest of the 18 suspects and the recovery of the firearms and other exhibits are a significant operational achievement for the Rivers State Police Command. The command's efforts to combat crime and protect lives and property are ongoing, with Adepoju pledging to continue working tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of residents in the state. The police command's collaboration with other stakeholders is also expected to yield positive results in the fight against crime in Rivers State.
