By Samuel Ogude(Warri)
The Delta State Police Command has arrested suspected six armed robbers/kidnappers who operate in the guise of being vigilantes/ hunters in Delta community. In a press statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Police Command, DSP Bright Edafe said on the 15th December 2022 at about 2000hrs, Police operatives attached to Ekpan Police station deployed on patrol along Jakpa Road, intercepted a Toyota Sienna space bus, ash in colour without registration number conveying six male occupants.
The Policemen on suspicion subjected them to a search during which three (03) pump action guns, four (04) locally made guns, one (01) long axe, seven (07) expended cartridges, nine (09) live cartridges, native charms, three (03) cutlasses, two (02) number plates were recovered from them,
The suspects, Aaron Okorigwe ‘m’ aged 27yrs and five others could not give reasonable account of themselves and therefore were taken into Police’ custody. On investigation, it was revealed that they were hoodlums who operate in the guise of being members of hunters’ group from Ovwian- Aladja, but sneak into Ekpan Community in a Sienna vehicle, rob and kidnap unsuspecting members of the public, thereafter, they run to hibernate in Ovwian Aladja community.
Part of the statement reads:” Police operatives attached to Ekpan Police station deployed on patrol along Jakpa Road, intercepted a Toyota Sienna space bus, ash in colour without registration number conveying six male occupants…. The Policemen on suspicion subjected them to a search during which three (03) pump action guns, four (04) locally made guns, one (01) long axe, seven (07) expended cartridges, nine (09) live cartridges, native charms, three (03) cutlasses, two (02) number plates were recovered”.
The statement added that based on the findings, on 16th December, 2022, the Divisional Police Officer invited three victims (names withheld), all of whom were at various times victims of armed robberies, and kidnappings in the area, and placed the suspects on identification parade, The statement added that in the process, the victims identified the suspects as the syndicate that robbed and kidnapped them. Meanwhile, at the time of filing in this report, further investigation is on-going.