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Police in Imo State, say that they have arrested thirty suspects for various offences including armed robbery, car snatching, cultism, and unlawful possession of firearms.
The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday,11 November.
Okoye stated that that the operatives of command recorded a series of operational successes within the past months, following the swift response of the Quick Intervention Team (QIT) and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
The police spokesperson said a large cache of arms and ammunition, three snatched vehicles, and two motorcycles were recovered from the operations.
According to him, the operation began on 2 November, about 8:30 a.m., when the operatives of the RRS) on stop-and-search duty along Owerri/Aba Road intercepted two young men in a commercial bus heading to Owerri.
A search conducted on them led to the recovery of a cut-to-size locally fabricated double-barrel gun with three live cartridges.
Okoye further stated that on 7 November, at about 7:00 p.m., armed hoodlums snatched a Mercedes Benz GLE 350 with registration number ABC-10CG from one Chukwuebuka and his friends at Ikenegbu by Holy Family Catholic Hospital, Owerri. Following a distress call, QIT operatives tracked the vehicle towards Okigwe Road and recovered it at about 10:30p.m.. One suspect, Adamu Sani of Kachia Local Government Area, Kaduna State, was arrested and confessed to the crime, naming Abdullahi, Emmanuel, and Emeka as his accomplices.
The police spokesperson added that the operation ended on 8 November,, when the QIT operatives recovered a black Toyota Hilux with registration number NEM-14AG, reportedly stolen from a hotel in Rivers State, where it was abandoned at New Owerri by De Angelsaround 5:00am.
He disclosed that on the same day, a Toyota Venza earlier snatched by three armed men at New Owerri by De Compound previous day, was recovered abandoned at Yar’Adua Drive by Chosen Church at about 5:30pm.
Okoye confirmed that all vehicles have been identified by their owners, adding that efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing suspects.
He identified the suspects as Uchechukwu Ahamefule, 25 and Miracle Eberechi 28, both of Ogbu Umuorji, Osisioma, Abia State, confessed to being members of the Vikings/Bagar confraternity cult group.
They admitted to having seized the firearm from a rival cult group in Aba for their own protection. The case is under investigation as further efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of their syndicate.
The Commissioner of Police in Imo, Aboki Danjuma, assured that the police in the state will sustain its proactive policing approach to rid Imo State of criminal elements.
He urged residents to remain law-abiding and to provide useful information that will assist the Police in keeping the State safe.
