Rivers State CP parades 11 armed robbery suspects

The new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Tunde Ogusakin, yesterday, paraded 11 armed robbers and two kidnappers arrested in Port Harcourt, the state capital, in different operations.

Ogusakin told journalists at the state command, along Moscow Road, that a gang of armed robbers opened fire on a police patrol team, at 1.45pm, on Friday, February 14, at Ogunabali Area, by St. Patrick Hospital.

Compol Tunde Ogunsakin in his speech said a special team parading on Valentines day saw a bandit of robbers in shooting; this prompted the police to immediately engage them in an exchange of gun fire that lasted for 33minutes. The gang was, however, overwhelmed by the superior fire power of our men who displayed their resilience in the course of the gun exchange.

The gang which was overpowered by the police later ran from the scene leaving behind a grey-coloured Toyota Highlander Jeep, with registration number LSR 825 AP. One Chinoso Ihesinor was arrested while the sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) was recovered from him.

In a separate move, another gang of robbers that was led by one Lawal Ibrahim, a notorious robber who was fingered in a robbery incidence along Shell Quarters in September, 2013 who was on bail by a court of law was also arrested along Umokoro, Rivers State.

Ogunsakin also disclosed that on Monday, February 17, the operatives of the command acting on a piece of intelligence, arrested a suspected kidnapper, David Francis, at Fidelity Bank, along Trans Amadi Road, while trying to withdraw a ransom meant to augment the ransom fee for the release of a victim that was recently kidnapped at Akwa Ibom State.

Francis later led the operatives from the Rivers State Police Command, to the hide-out of his accomplice, Edwin Ekpeyoung, who was arrested after some resistance by armed men from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.

The Commissioner of Police emphasized that he will continue to make intelligence-led policing the cardinal point of police operation in Rivers State, adding that “I intend to continue with an aggressive onslaught in the state against criminals until the crime situation is brought to near zero level. The Commissioner of Police advice the criminal to desist or face the wrath of the law.