17th May, 2023
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit of the Rivers Police Command have in recent operations busted a gang of car thieves and kidnappers operating with accomplices in the state and other parts of the country.
One of the crime kingpins in the police net is one Abdullahi Ibrahim who was arrested in Kano with two cars, a black Toyota Matrix and Toyota Camry, stolen from Port Harcourt recovered from him.
While parading the suspect on Tuesday, spokesperson for the Police Command said the lid on Ibrahim in Kano was blown in the course of investigation of a case of kidnapping and armed robbery reported on January 15, 2023.
However, he was arrested on Friday, May 12,2023 in Kano.
The arrest of Ibarahim led to arrested of one Tamunor Kubie Okari, Vincent Kobani and Monima George who are all from Rivers and who the police described as his conspirators in the state.
According to the police spokesperson, three locally made pistols and two live cartridges were recovered from Vincent Kobani upon his arrest at Victoria Street, Port Harcourt.
Spokesperson of the Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko told journalists that the suspects confessed to the crime and described how they forcefully snatched the recovered Toyota Matrix from one of their victims, and thereafter withdrew the sum of N209,000 using his ATM card.
In the same vein, the Command said sequel to an earlier arrest of a suspected kidnapper who abducted a woman and her daughter (names withheld) on Saturday, April 15 2023, Operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit raided an apartment on Plot 34 Lonpry Street, Trans Amadi.
The raid led to discovery of one AK47 rifle with Breach No. 0637, three magazines loaded with thirty rounds of live ammunition each, two long single-barreled guns, and one live cartridge which were all were recovered.
“Similarly, following on an earlier arrest of a member of an armed robbery/car snatching syndicate, on Monday, May 8,2023, Rivers State Police Operatives proceeded on investigation activities to Abuja, Nasarawa and Gombe States, where they nabbed five suspects, strongly believed to be responsible for theft of cars in the state, and the sale of those stolen vehicles.
Those also arrested include; one Shehu Shagari aged 33 from Kaduna South, Kaduna State who is a major receiver of stolen vehicles from one Hamisu Babangida who is based in Port Harcourt, and a direct receiver from one Tamuno Kobiye aka Okorobo, a suspected armed robber who is a native of Okrika in Okrika local government area and who has been convicted and imprisoned severally on similar offences. One Ibrahim Abubakar aged 37, of Kala Local Government Area in Bornu State who confessed that he bought one Prado Jeep from Shehu Shagari at the rate of N5m and re-sold the same to one Alhaji Abdullahi, a Cameroonian.
Iringe-Koko said the same operation led to the arrest of one Nuhu Ahmed aged 30 and Abdullahi aged 30, both from Yola South LGA of Adamawa State.
Exhibits recovered include a cash sum of N2 Million, which was sent for the purchase of stolen Toyota Corolla; one Acura Jeep with Reg. No. PBT 10 JP registered on the name Mrs. Rebecca Mioko ,a resident of Rivers State.
The Command assured that all the suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.
Meanwhile, residents of the state have been called upon to remain supportive, law-abiding, and vigilant and promptly report acts of crime and criminality to the nearest police station or by calling the command’s emergency hotlines on 08032003514 and 08098880134.
Ends