One police corporal and eight kidnappers were among 18 suspects currently cooling off their heels in the custody of the Rivers State Police Command.
The police corporal, Edonwa Timi, got into trouble by involving himself in car snatching.
Also apprehended was a fake soldier, who was identified as Azubuike Ihejirika, from Isiala Ngwa, Abia State.
Ihejirika was arrested recently by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad while in a military camouflage.
The State Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, said the other suspects were arrested in various parts of Rivers State between January and March, 2017.
He listed the suspected hoodlums as eight kidnappers, six armed robbers and four cultists, disclosing that three kidnap victims were rescued during raids of kidnappers’ dens by operatives of the state police command.
Speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday, Omoni disclosed that the police corporal was attached to C4i Unit in the state capital.
According to him, the suspect was arrested alongside members of a car-snatching syndicate, adding that investigation was still ongoing with a view to apprehending other members of the syndicate.
Omoni explained that the suspects would be charged to court after investigation, adding that the fake soldier had claimed to be a member of Army Recruitment Committee.
He said, “The State Police Command has prosecuted 30 suspected armed robbers, 25 cultists and 19 kidnappers within the period under review (January to March 2017).
“Items recovered from the hoodlums are arms and ammunition, six vehicles, large quantities of weeds and charms.
“The Acting Commissioner of Police, DCP Ahmed Magaji, has directed Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and Heads of Tactical Units to redouble their efforts and embark on massive raid of suspected criminal hideouts and black spots in the state.”
Source: punch
