The Operatives of the Inspector General Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit have invaded the hideout of dreaded armed robbers at Aluu Community in Ikwerre Local Government of Rivers, arresting seven suspects.
The team also arrested five armed robbery suspects over attack on the properties of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority in Isiokpo, same Local Government Area of the state.
The commander of the Unit, Ben Igwe, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCP), disclosed this during the parade in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital of the hoodlums Tuesday.
The suspects have reportedly been terrorising the area, especially Omuike and Omuigwe communities for a long time, but luck ran out of them following the raid.
The suspects are: Dukori Promise, Ebuka Agugu, Junior Victor Amadi, Joshua Olapade, Lekan Isiakan, Kanuchi Owen and Tope Segun.
Parading them, Igwe said the raid followed reliable information by the public.
He confirmed that the criminal gang have terrorised the people for a long time and that the engage in armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism amongst others and that Aluu community where the IGP Unit is located is the worse hit.
Speaking on the operations he said, “When the information about the evil abode of the criminals is located, we swung into action and the hoodlums on sighting the operatives opened fire on us.
“During the exchange of gun battle, the armed robbers were humbled by the superior fire power of the men of the unit, and seven of the robbers were arrested while others escaped with bullet wound.”
He further disclosed that one Pump Action gun and locally made pistol were recovered from the hoodlums while investigation is on to apprehend others who are on the run.
Equally, the IGP team have also held five suspected armed robbers who allegedly attacked workers of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority in Isiokpo, on gun point and carted away two big generators and a vehicle belonging to the Authority.
The suspects are, Ndidi Elechi, Justice Alozie, Bernard Paul, Eric Ogwudile and Ihuoma Johnson.
Speaking on the arrest, DCP Igwe said, “The vision of IGP Ibrahim Idris, to make Nigeria a crime free nation and has spurred us into moving into different areas to make sure the area remains safe for Nigerian.
“On the arrests of these robbers, they attacked us, they came to Aluu here in Rivers not too far from us to come and start robbing. They have been using Aluu as their den but we busted them.
“The other incident is the Isiokpo robbery. We want to make sure that we entre everywhere in Rivers State and its environs, Akwa Ubima, Imo, Abia, Bayelsa. We are moving around to ensure the environments are safe from all forms criminality.
“By His Grace, the area is safe and will be safer when we finish the crime operation we are doing now. There is no crime now that police cannot handle in the country no matter the level of crime and their misuse operandi,” he said.