By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria) — Akwa Ibom State Police Command, South-South of the country has arrested 104 suspects for various offences across the State.
They were arrested on offences ranging from cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery, child stealing/selling and have been charged to court while others are under investigation.
The Police Commissioner, Zubairu Muazu while briefing newsmen on recent breakthrough by the command, said two AK 47 rifles with three magazines and eighteen rounds of live ammunition, One Assault and two Pump Action riffles were recovered
Other items include one Berretta pistol with eight rounds of live ammunition, 8 Locally made pistols and 1 single barrel gun with 12 live cartridges were recovered.
Also, one Toyota Avalon Car, one Lexus Jeep, one Toyota corolla, one Toyota Camry, and a cash sum of Two Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy Thousand (N2,870,000) were recovered.
He explained that the State special Anti-kidnapping team arrested 4 kidnappers at Etim Ekpo and recovered 2 locally made pistols.
A notorious gang responsible for series of Bank related robberies in the State, according to the commissioner has been arrested.
He added that the police at Eket received a distress call that a robbery was taken place at Food Affairs, opposite First Bank, Eket, stressing that one Nkerewen Bassey Akpan withdrew the sum of One Million Naira (N1m) cash from First Bank Eket and was trailed and blocked by the suspects to rob the victim of the said amount withdrawn.
Items recovered from the gang, he said, include one Toyota Avalon Reg. No. NCH 28 ST with ignition key: Cash sum of N521,300.00; One Techno phone; Different ATM Cards, etc. The ring leader, Hycent Loveday Bright based in Eket, while the other gang members always come from Rivers State.
He noted that the last two months have been quite eventful and very peaceful. “We witness a peaceful Party Primaries across the State. Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo are also calm. Armed robbery, Kidnapping, Cultism, Child stealing/Selling, Rape and other heinous crimes were tackled head on.
“It was indeed a battle fought and won with the support of the good people of Akwa Ibom State.
“The command is determined to sustain the tempo in crime fighting and protection of lives and property. Our efforts in crime bursting have been intensified through our community policing drive, people oriented policing; problem solving approach; intelligence led policing; visibility policing; intensive stop and search, vehicular and foot patrols and of course ‘Operation Purge’ we launched at Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo.
“My decision to temporarily relocate the Operation Base of our Special Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Cultism Units to identified flashpoints in Ukanafun, Etim Ekpo and Onna, yielded positive results as 15 Kidnappers and 20 Cultist were apprehended and charged to Court,” he explained.
He thanked the government and people of Akwa Ibom state for their support to the Nigeria Police and indeed other security agencies towards reducing crimes to the barest minimum. “Together we can continue to make Akwa Ibom safe and secure,” he stated.
