Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested 4 serving personnel of the Nigerian Military and 9 others for hijacking and diverting trailer-loads of products in Rivers State.
Additionally arrested was a personnel of the Nigerian Safety and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and eight different civilians who’re members of a 13-man syndicate that specialises in hijacking and diversion of trailer-loads of products.
Police Public Relations Officer within the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, in an announcement in Port Harcourt on Monday, gave the names of the troopers as West Isaac, Abdul Musa, Mgbe Geoffrey and Harmless Okwoli.
Iringe-Koko additionally disclosed the id of the NSCDC personnel as Jabila Kammangar, whereas their civilian collaborators are Olisa Emeka, George Obilor, Sampson Wilson, Alfred Abeke, Barry John, Auwalu Aliyu, Uchenna Nwali, and Alhaji Sofinu Haruna.
The assertion reads partly: “Investigations by the Rivers State Police Command, following arrests for tried housebreaking, have revealed a variety of legal actions.
“On March 4, 2024, at roughly 11 pm, the Rivers State Police Command obtained a misery name about burglars who have been trying to vandalise warehouses in Elimgbu owned by Mr. Emmanuel Nwangwu and Mrs. Ndifreke Ekanem. The police promptly mobilised to the scene and arrested 5 suspects who had been severely overwhelmed by a mob.
“The wounded suspects have been taken to the police hospital as investigations started. In the course of the investigation, it was found that one of many suspects, West Isaac (08NA/61/2653), was a corporal within the Nigerian Military serving in Delta State.
“One other suspect, Jabila Kammangar, also called ‘Kaka,’ was an officer of the Nigerian Safety and Civil Defence Corps serving in Kabba, Kogi State. They confessed to abandoning their posts to interact in legal actions in Rivers State as a result of its lucrativeness.
“Corporal West, a 36-year-old father of 4 from Buguma, Rivers State, joined the Military in 2008 and was assigned to the third Battalion in Warri. He left his base on a sick go and did not return even after it expired, remaining absent for over a month till his arrest.
“West disclosed to the police that he met Kaka whereas serving within the Military’s Anti-Bunkering Unit, and collectively, they engaged in a number of unlawful actions. He additional revealed that he got here to Port Harcourt after receiving a name from Kaka about raiding warehouses, which led to their seize.
“Additional investigations revealed that they have been half of a bigger legal ring specialising in armed theft, hijacking, and items diversion. Corporal West disclosed to the police that he and different Military personnel had been key gamers within the group. In addition to ransacking warehouses, they’d a community of informants who offered details about the schedules of goods-bearing trailers.
“They’d then costume in full navy gear, lay in anticipate the trailers, and accost them with a white Hilux van as they approached. They’d intimidate the drivers, assault them, and hand their keys to designated drivers, who would then divert the trailers to ready receivers.
“Based mostly on his confessional assertion, the police have been capable of observe down and arrest Lance Corporal Abdul Musa (13NA/70/10545), Lance Corporal Mgbe Jeoffrey (16NA/75/6896), and Corporal Harmless Okwoli (12NA/68/6552), all personnel of the Nigerian Military.
“Moreover, eight civilian collaborators within the syndicate have been arrested: Olisa Emeka, George Obilor, Sampson Wilson, Alfred Abeke, Barry John, Auwalu Aliyu, Uchenna Nwali, and Alhaji Sofinu Haruna.
“The group’s key coordinator was Corporal Harmless Okwoli, a local of Otakpo in Benue State and a soldier stationed at Intels in Onne. Okwoli acknowledged that he began main hijacking operations after being launched to the exercise by a person named Abbas and two unnamed Naval officers. Following a profitable operation, he fashioned his staff.”
Police listed their quite a few crimes to incorporate hijacking of a trailer loaded with fertiliser valued at N25 million belonging to Alhaji Sadiq Adams on February 17, 2024.
“On March 4, 2024, the group tried to burgle warehouses owned by Emmanuel Nwagwu and Ndifreke Ekanem.
“In February 2024, a 40-foot container stuffed with imported clothes from China was hijacked and diverted.
“In February 2024, a trailer carrying POP cement was hijacked and diverted. The police have since recovered the stolen POP cement and are working to retrieve a trailer load of fertiliser from its receiver. Moreover, a white Toyota Hilux used within the gang’s operations has been recovered from the NSCDC officer.
Three of the affected troopers have been dismissed by the Nigerian Military after being handed over by the police.”
In the meantime, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olatunji Disu, has expressed his profound appreciation for the swift and decisive cooperation of the navy authorities.
Disu lauded their immediate actions in addressing the concerned officers’ misconduct and subsequent handover to the police for prosecution.
The Police Commissioner, who emphasised that this collaborative effort underscores a robust dedication to upholding justice and sustaining public belief in legislation enforcement establishments, praised the officers concerned within the arrest and urged them to stay vigilant.