Police Arrest 71 Robbery Suspects In PH

Wife of Rivers State Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi and Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Dakuku Peterside, during the wedding of Barrister Sotonye Lawson, former aide of Rivers First Lady to Mr Edward in London, recently.

Rivers State police command says it smashed 19 armed robbery gangs and arrested 71 armed robbery suspects within the month of July this year.

The Police Commissioner, Rivers State Command, Mr Suleiman Abba, who announced this recounted the success and achievements of the command at Elimgbu Divisional Police Headquarters, Port Harcourt.

He revealed that last Monday night, the police patrol team attached to Elelenwo Division recovered two AK 47 assault riffles, eight rounds of ammunition and active live magazine, from three men suspected to be members of an armed robbery gang.

The police commissioner said the weapons were discovered in the process of conducting a search in a Mercedes Benz car with Reg. No. AZ773 JJJ. The weapons were neatly concealed in the engine compartment, he said.

According to him the suspected gang robbers were intercepted by the team of policemen on patrol along Km14 by Eleme Junction, where they were sighted sharing their ammunitions in their vehicle.

He said the robbers, having been challenged by the policemen, suddenly took to their heels, but luck ran out of one of the suspects as he sustained bullet wounds and was arrested. He added that the suspect was later confirmed dead at the hospital, while efforts are being sustained to arrest the fleeing ones.

Mr Abba emphasized that the police force at every point in time is on alert to combat crime to ensure a crime free state.

“This is just to tell you that our fight against crime generally is a dady affair, give us the information, we will always deal with them, have the confidence that whatever you give to us will always be treated with utmost confidentiality, all those involved would be arrested”, he concluded.

The commissioner appealed to the state and federal governments to provide some of the most sophisticated equipment for the police to assist them in the protection of lives and properties.