PORT HARCOURT – The anti Kidnapping unit of the Rivers State Police Command has arrested two suspected armed robbers in Elelenwo community, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, said to also be involved in gun repairs and drug peddling.
The arrest followed the busting of the suspects hideout in the area, a brothel used as a cover for their nefarious activities.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu in a statement signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer SP Grace Iringe-Koko on Wednesday said the feat was achieved as a result of intelligence-led policing.
The CP said the suspects were monitored by the police in a covert operation for almost a month before they were arrested.
The Commissioner of Police said following several complaints from victims who had been robbed of his valuables in the area, he tasked the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to immediately flush out the perpetrators.
Disu stated that prior to the arrest of the 22-year old suspected kingpin, Anthony Augustine at Green City Estate in Odani, Elelenwo, his accomplice, a 27 year old native of Arochukwu from Abia State, identified as Azubuike Orji was earlier nabbed by the Police in a crack operation and confessions extracted from him indicated that he was working for the suspected kingpin of the syndicate, Augustine.
Disu explained that residents of Elelenwo community following the arrest of the duo jubilated, adding that items recovered from them included an iPhone XX, suspected packs of marijuana, POS machines, and locally-made pistols, as investigations continuous to arrest other fleeing members of the syndicate.
He said, “On December 1, 2023, the Rivers State Police Command received a formal complaint from a victim who had been robbed of his valuables at Odani junction in Elelenwo by a group of armed men. It was one in a series of complaints of armed robbery that the command received in the same period.
“These crack operations led to the arrest of one Azubuike Orji, 27, a native of Arochukwu in Abia State, who claimed to be a bus conductor. The suspect, who was released from the Nigerian Correctional Service a few months ago, was arrested with a locally made pistol.
“He confessed to working for the leader of the armed robbery syndicate, Anthony Augustine, revealing that his specialty in the gang was peddling drugs and servicing guns.”
Disu added, “In a related investigation, through intelligence led policing an auxiliary nurse who turned out to be the wife of the armed robbery gang leader.
“Further interrogations led to the discovery of a 7-room brothel located in Odani, Elelenwo that served as a hideout for members of the syndicate.”
The Commissioner of Police who commended the efforts of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, encouraged residents of Rivers State to promptly report crimes as they happen to enable the police apprehend the perpetrators and nip crime in the bud.
The CP also warned members of the public against buying used items, especially phones, regardless of how cheap they were, noting that such purchases could lead to more problems, assuring that the Rivers State Police Command will not stop pushing to apprehend every suspect on the command’s wanted list and to rid the state of crime.
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