Gunmen Kill Army Major In PH …Abduct Commissioner’s Sister In Bayelsa …Police Parade Kidnappers, Robbers In Rivers

Unknown gunmen believed to be assassins last Sunday killed a serving Major (name withheld) attached to the 2 Amphibious Brigade, Nigerian Army, Bori Camp, Rivers State.
The incident occurred at the Mechanic Workshop in Oroworukwo near Waterlines, Aba Road in Port Harcourt City Local Government Areas of the state.
A source who spoke to The Tide under anonymity said the army officer was shot at the mechanic workshop where he had gone to service his vehicle.
The Tide learnt that the victim was recently posted from Abuja to Port Harcourt.
It was also learnt that the matter has been reported to the Olu-Obasanjo Police Station.
Residents, shop owners, business centres and restaurant operators, who reportedly fled their businesses, following last Sunday’s mass arrest by soldiers who raided the community as a result of the unfortunate incident are yet to return.
Our correspondent reports that some residents were still uncertain whether or not to move out of the community pending the return of normalcy.
Consequently, most residents are finding it difficult to move around freely for fear of being arrested by the soldiers.
When contacted on phone for comment, the Brigade Public Relations Officer, Major M.A. Etete did to respond to several calls and text messages sent to his phone.
Similarly, gunmen struck at Oloibiri in Bayelsa State on Monday, abducting one Joyce Ebua, a sister to the state’s Commissioner for Sports, Mr Maitama Obodo.
The five gunmen stormed Ebua’s residence at about 8.55 p.m. and whisked her away through the waterways at the back of her house.
The incident prompted the Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, to deploy officers and men to launch a manhunt for the kidnappers.
It was learnt that Atewe led troops to the scene of the crime yesterday.
The gunmen were said to have shot sporadically into the air before taking away their victim to an unknown place in the creeks.
The Media Coordinator of the JTF, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed the incident.
“The command has activated the security network on both land and waterways in conjunction with other security agencies to locate and track down the kidnappers,” he said.
The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr Hilary Opara, said also that the police had commenced investigations.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command yesterday paraded some armed robbers and kidnappers arrested in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Johnson Tunde Ogunsakin while parading the suspects at the police headquarters in Port Harcourt, said the arrest was the result of the command’s onslaught against all forms of criminality in the state.
Giving a breakdown of the arrest, Ogunsakin said 15 persons were arrested for kidnapping, 13 for armed robbery while one Sampson Emecheta from Anambra State was arrested for adulterating various kinds of hot drink.
The commissioner of police particularly mentioned Precious Jack Okpara, Answer Dick, Sokia Fubara, Prince Mikado Philip, Emmanuel Israel, Manima Maxson, TrustGod  Seleya, Tienagbeso George, Inne Clinton and Nephew Philemon as notable kidnappers arrested by the command.
He described the arrest of the 10 suspects as breakthrough by a combined team of Special Anti-Robbery Squad and Anti-Kidnapping Unit in the Abalama forest in Asari-Toru Local Government Area, adding that the arrest was made after one week of intensive condone and search operation.
According to him, investigation on the matter is still on-going, adding that the suspects would be charged to court when the investigation is concluded.
Ogunsakin also disclosed that the command arrested five suspects in Army and Navy uniforms who intercepted and robbed a truck with registration number TRN 102XA loaded with 900 bags of cement, adding that the five suspects were arrested at the Airport Road, Igwuruta on their way to dispose of the content of the truck.
The police commissioner named the arrested suspects in the crime as Mohammed Illyasu, driver of the truck, Mohammed Nura and Joseph Joseph, including Chimezie Egenti and the buyer, Ona Theophilus, adding that the suspects have all confessed to the crime.
The state police boss reiterated his warning that all criminals in the state should either be law abiding citizens or relocate from the state, adding that criminals would face the full wrath of the law as there will be no hiding place for them.
Ogunsakin promised to continue to deploy his expertise and experience in crime fighting and prevention in the state.
The commissioner disclosed that he had directed all area commanders and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in the state to intensify their efforts in crime fighting by embarking on intensive patrols and massive raids of all suspected criminal hideouts and black spots in their areas of operation.
He used the opportunity to express the command’s appreciation to members of the public who continually assist the command with timely and credible information, and  solicited more support to enable the command nip in the bud any threat to peace in the state.

Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Mr Ekpo Nta (left), with Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, at the ICPC Good Governance Forum in Abuja, yesterday

Beemene Taneh