……..Foiled kidnap attempt
The Rivers State Police Command said it has raided a criminal hideout in Rumuokwuta, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The state Commissioner of Police, Nwonyi Polycarp-Emeka, who spoke in a media briefing at the Command Headquarters in Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, on Thursday, said that operatives of the Octopus Unit stormed the criminal’s hideout following credible information.
He explained that the hoodlums on sighting the Police escaped through a canal and abandoned the following items: five handsets, 14 rounds of 7.6mm live ammunition, 1 live magazine, 50 wraps of Indian hemp, 10 sachets of Tombo Bitters amongst others.
CP Polycarp-Emeka, on other achievements of the Command under his leadership, also noted that operatives of the Anti-cultism Unit, on Sunday, July 30, 2023, at about 1430hrs, while on stop and search along Aluu/Omagwa Road, sighted a Volvo vehicle with reg. no. NKR 933 XA registered in Imo State with two occupants.
Upon sighting police operatives, they abandoned the vehicle and escaped into the bush.
The vehicle was searched, and the following items were recovered: One AK-47 riffle, Three AK-47 magazines, 12 rounds of 7.66mm ammunition, One pump-action riffle, and an empty black bag.
In another development, following a complaint from one Wale Alabi ‘M’ of Pepple Avenue UPE Borikiri, Police operatives from the Command arrested one Precious Frank of Bakana Community Degema LGA, Rivers State, on Tuesday, 01/08/2023.
The suspect, who specializes in generating fake alerts from the app, uses the same to defraud innocent POS operators and shopkeepers.
Luck ran against him as he cleverly went to the complainant’s shop, did a transaction of One Hundred Thousand Naira and generated a fake alert message, and immediately disappeared from the area.
On receiving the complaint, a thorough and diligent investigation was carried out, which led to the arrest of the suspect and the unraveling of the techniques adopted by the fraudsters to defraud the unsuspecting victims.
The suspect has equally given detailed information that will surely lead to the arrest of other members of the gang, who also go about defrauding unsuspecting victims using the same method in the Port Harcourt metropolis.
The fake App will always display successful transactions to confuse their victims without remitting the money to the victim’s account. Pragmatic efforts are put into ensuring that other culprits are also arrested.
Operatives of the Command, on Thursday, 03/08/2023 while conducting Stop and Search along Port Harcourt/Aba Road, intercepted a black Honda Crosstour without Reg. No. with two occupants that looked suspicious.
On interrogation, it was discovered that the vehicle was removed at No. 1 Lawson Avenue, Wali Estate, Port Harcourt.
The suspects confessed to the crime, and an investigation is underway to arrest other members of their gang.
Also, operatives of Hunter Strike Unit, on Thursday, 03/08/2023 at Casablanca Axis GRA Phase 2 Port Harcourt, engaged three suspected Kidnappers who attacked/blocked a grey Toyota Corolla Car with Reg. No. GGU 43 AE, driven by One Samuel Okonkwo, a Bolt driver, and One Okorie U. Arinze, a passenger, was about to Kidnap them when Police operatives arrived at the scene. As an exchange of gunfire ensured, the Hoodlums fled and abandoned the Vehicle and Victims.
Operatives on Wednesday, 02/08/2023 at about 1730hrs one Isaac Okoma, 39 yrs old, of Alebiri Town, Ekeremo Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, presently residing at Mass Central Hotel, UPE Sandfilled Borikiri, has been arrested in connection to the murder of the late Josephine Ibiju of Baptist Waterfront, which was reported on Saturday, 10/06/2023.
A preliminary investigation has commenced, and the case will soon be transferred to SCID, Port Harcourt.
Operatives of the Command on Friday, 04/8/23 at about 0730hrs, following incessant raids on cultist camps, one General ‘2man’ ‘m’ of Ogbologbolo Community Ahoada West, leader of the Green Landers Cult Group, surrendered to the Police operatives one AK-47 rifle with six live rounds of 7.62 x 39 mm calibre and two SMG riffles.
An effort has been emplaced to launch more raids on the hoodlums for the possible recovery of more arms and ammunition in their possession.
