As Robbers Threaten Peace Of PH…

The peaceful atmosphere at the Trans-Amadi Industrial area was disturbed on Tuesday. For reasons that are still under police investigation, a police corporal serving in Rivers State Police Command allegedly committed suicide after shooting his senior colleague said to be an inspector with AK-47 rifle.

Although the command’s spokesman, Mr Ben Ugwuegbulam confirmed the incident, he could not ascertain the cause of the incident. According to him, no misunderstanding was noticed between the two officers before the incident occurred.

But unconfirmed sources said the incident was as a result of disagreement between the two officers over the sharing of some monetary inducement given to the duo. The inspector and the late corporal whose names the police authority did not disclose, were attached to Plangeria Nigeria Limited, a transport company on Plot 278, Trans-Amadi area of Port Harcourt metropolis.

The police spokesman explained that the two officers were rushed to Teme Hospital at Mile One, but the corporal later died having refused to be treated by the hospital personnel.

For sometime now, Port Harcourt has been playing host to some criminal activities, especially armed robbery. Within the last two weeks, there were two armed robbery attacks in the city.

On Monday, men and officers of the Police Command engaged a group of armed robbers in a shoot-out that lasted for about one hour in the Olu-Obasanjo Road and Government Reserved Area (GRA) of Port Harcourt. In the attacks, six of the armed robbers were killed, while N500,000, a  Toyota Hilux Van, a Kia Cerato Car, two AK-47 rifles with three magazines, 10 rounds of 3.8 special ammunition and two number plates were recovered.

The suspects, whose bodies were displayed at the police headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, were said to have robbed a businessman, Mr Nduibisi Iheanachor of N2.1 million on his way back from Access Bank along Olu Obasanjo axis.

The Deputy, Commissioner of Police (Administration), Mrs Diseye Nsirim, who confirmed the incident, described the suspects as members of a notorious gang which has been terrorizing Port Harcourt and its environment for sometime now.

“Today, March 5, 2012, at about 12.25 hour, one Nduibisi Iheanachor with a Ford Ranger black jeep went to Access Bank at Olu Obasanjo and withdraw the sum of N2.1 million. On his way back to his office along Orogbum Crescent, GRA, he was overtaken by a gang of vicious armed robbers driving in a white Hilux car who robbed him of all the money,” the police boss stated.

Of February 29, a gang of armed robbers allegedly led by a huge female member raided a branch of a first generation bank in Choba, near the popular Sammies Eatery, opposite the main gate of the Choba campus of the University of Port Harcourt.

Eyewitness account said the robbers shot security personnel on duty at the bank, resulting in heavy casualties as the security men fled for safety, after which the robbers blew the bank with dynamite to gain access to the bank’s vaults.

The Tide’s investigation shows that many persons were injured during the operation while trying to run for safety.

In fact, in that incident, a male student of UNIPORT was shot dead by the robbery.

Last December, in one of the worst cases in Port Harcourt, the same lady described as dark and huge led a robber raid in Rumuola, resulting in the death of a pregnant woman, a young boy and two men, including a mobile police officer. The same lady allegedly led a gang of armed robbers in January, this year which attacked a bank in Iwofe, carting away, undisclosed amount of money in cash. Since then, the lady and her gang have been elusive.

The spate of crimes in recent times is not limited to Port Harcourt. Bayelsa State had its own bitter pill on March 1, this year when three officers of the Joint Military Tasks Force (JTF) including the JTF commanding officer of the Brass Command and two naval officers were killed in an attack at Brass Creek in the state. Some marine policemen were also killed at Nembe Creek, the same day.

The incident, which reportedly occurred at about 10am, took place when the Commanding Officer, Lt Col A. Malik and the naval officers were ambushed at Ogbia market.

According to the police spokesman, Egwaron Emokpae said: “The marine policemen were patrolling the waterways when gunmen opened fire on them.”

The prevalence of armed robbery and other crimes in Nigeria is fast becoming an epidemic. The security situation in the country is appalling such that armed robbers now operate on daily basis, leaving sorrow, tears and blood in their trail.

Many people have described the state of insecurity in Nigeria, blaming the epidemic on the inefficiency of the security personnel and the advancement in telecommunication technology.

According to Dr Femi Ajayi, a security expert, “although, crime has been with mankind from creation, there are increasing categories of criminal deeds that are really baffling, senseless, often shocking and vicious”.

In a paper tittled “crime and security: The Menace of Armed Robbers in Nigeria”, Dr Ajayi noted that from the look of things, it appears crime remains one of the biggest businesses in Nigeria today and violent crime among young people had risen to unprecedented level.

“The inability of the appropriate authority to arrest and bring criminals to justice is added incentive to crime perpetration in the country. The corresponding advancement in telecommunication technology which makes contact between criminals easier had added fillip to individual and collective insecurity.

The new generation armed robbers have proven to be more daring, blood-thirstier, deadlier and even better equipped to practice this evil vocation. Everybody now appears to be potential victim, every organization is a potential target we live daily with the menace of enemy without name or identification and danger without postal address or reference”, he said.

Many others have, however, blamed the high spate of crimes in the country on the dwindling economic fortunes of majority Nigerians and the cordoning gab between the affluent and the poor.

Former American President, Bill Clinton recently said the menace of Boko Haram and other crimes in Nigeria was as a result of high level of poverty.

With the menace of armed robberies in Port Harcourt in particular, many Port Harcourt residents are mounting pressure on the police to make the city and the entire state a safe haven for the citizenry.

A security expert, Mr Benjamin Wuzor stated that the inability of the police and the state to arrest the particular body who is always mentioned in all the bank robberies in the state is a wrong  signal for the security situation in Rivers.

“I am amazed that a particular lady has been identified as gang leader in the entire bank robberies that have been happening in recent times, yet the police can not fish her out. This alone is giving wrong interpretation about the security situation in the state and we can not continue like this”, he said.

Although the Rivers State Police Command has launched a massive hunt for members of the robbery gangs that have been menacing the state, there appears to be no end in sight.

Boye Salau