Task Force Bursts Criminal Gang In PH, Recovers AK-47

The Rivers State Task Force on Street Trading, Illegal Parks and Markets said they arrested two suspected criminals during a routine operation in Port Harcourt on Monday.
Coordinator of the Task Force, Bright Amaewhule, who confirmed this to newsmen in Port Harcourt, said the criminals were arrested along the Abali Motor Park in Mile one axis of the State capital.
Amaewhule further said the commercial bus they were in, though not painted, was packed at an unauthorized bus stop before his men intercepted it as the occupants attempted to flee, noting that one A.K 47 rifle from the two man gang, was recovered.
According to him, “While we were on our routine operations, we saw a vehicle carrying some persons, two young men in the bus and they were at a place that is not supposed to be a bus stop.
“It is actually a commercial bus, though not painted. Now when we tried to dislodge the driver from that point, the next thing we discovered was that the two men there were carrying AK-47.
“On sighting us they wanted to take off (runaway) and eventually my men were able to apprehend them alongside the AK-47.
“We have brought them to the Abali Police station and we are taking them direct to the State Command for onward prosecution or as may be decided by the Commissioner of Police,” he stated.
He also said members of the task force have had similar encounters in the course of thier operations previously involving a vulcanizer.
“This is not the first time. We have been able to apprehend a vulcanizer who was keeping guns for some criminals sometime and he is now in jail.
“We have also been able to dislodge some criminals who hide at strategic points to collect money from people by way of pick-pocketing and us knives and short guns to intimidate people and collect money from them,” Amaewhule said.

Dennis Naku