The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rivers state Police command

  • Suspected criminals set family house ablaze, kill three in Rivers

    Suspected criminals set family house ablaze, kill three in Rivers

    Unidentified criminals believed to be cultists has set ablaze a family house at Okpako-Ejemah in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State killing one  Alhaji Hamza Garuba, his wife and a step son.

    Mr. Muhammed Sani, younger brother to Garuba, narrated to The Nation that the arsonists, five in number invaded his brother’s house at about10.00p.m. Tuesday and attempted to rob the family.

    Sani said the bandits had attempted to rape wife of Garuba, but that the deceased who was infuriated stabbed one of the bandits to death.

    He said: “I believed the stabbing of that criminal may have infuriated other gang members who quickly ran out of the house, locked the entrance door and set the house ablaze. My brother, his wife and a step son were locked up inside the house while the house was on fire. Nobody was at hand to rescue them as all of them were burnt beyond recognition.”

    Muhammed stated that killing was not in connection of the clash between Hausa community and task force team in Onne, Eleme LGA, Monday, adding that Garuba was killed by criminals that invaded his house.

    However, the Public Relations Officer of Rivers State Police Command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident and added that two persons have been arrested in relation to the matter.

    Meantime, Arewa Consultative Forum, South-South, South-East branch, has condemned the killing and worried that mischief makers want to cause disunity among Hausa community and the people of Eleme.

    Speaking, the Coordinator of the body, Alhaji Musa Saidu, noted that Garuba was killed by bandits, saying: “The incident at Okpako-Ejemah was a clear case of robbery and arsonist attack. The Young man and his family were killed by arsonist who set their house ablaze. Hausa people have co-habited with their host community and they don’t have any issue.”

     

     

  • Two feared killed as task force, Hausa traders clash in Rivers

    Two feared killed as task force, Hausa traders clash in Rivers

    Two people have been feared killed after some Hausa traders and some youths believed to be local government task force team in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State clash over task payment.

    The Nation gathered that the trouble started when some youths from Eleme, who are operating as task force went to Opaku park in Onne to demand payment of task from Hausa traders who are doing business in the area.

    Mr. Franklin Bobmanuel, who witnessed the incident, narrated that the youths picked offense when the traders declined paying the tax which  resulted to free for all.

    Bobmanuel said that one of the tax officials died during the fight and that the task force on noticing that one of them has died and in retaliation killed one of the traders.

    The Rivers State police command has confirmed that  a church and a mosque in the area have been  burnt down.

    The Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed that the two groups clashed in Eleme which led to the burning of a church and Mosque in the area.

    Omoni said: “We are aware of the Incident, but I am yet to get detail of what happened. We have swung into action, our men have been deployed to the area to maintain calm and we are investigating the matter, we will make the report available as soon as we are through.”

     

  • Gunmen attack members of Rivers amnesty committee

    Gunmen on Friday attacked the Rivers State Amnesty Programme Committee led by the chairman Mr. Kenneth Chinda, at Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State.

    It was gathered that the team had resumed duty in ONELGA before they were armed bushed by suspected unrepentant cultists in the area.

    The Nation learned that when the incidents happened, the leaders of the team had instructed other members of the team not to disclose the development until investigations were completed.

    A reliable source who was privy to the incidents told our correspondent that Hoodlums intercepted the team around Akabuka community and opened fire on them.

    The source said when the gun battle between the bandits and the security operatives attached to the team got tougher, journalists were instructed to board a bullet proof car, adding that security operatives later overpowered the hoodlums and chased them into a creek in the area before the team moved on.

    “We were going to Omoku when some boys came out around Akabuka community and started shooting at us. I was in a bullet proof car. Other journalists who were in another car that was not safe were asked to be rolling on the ground till they joined us.”

    A security source who confided in our correspondent disclosed that after the incident that the army had arrested one of the boys who attacked the committee.

    The source gave the name of the of the arrested suspect as Mr. Celestine Okpaka, adding that he was the second in command, Obiezimini Icelanders cult group.

    He said that more investigations were still on to apprehend the rest of the members of the cult group that carried out the attack.

    Every attempt made to reach the leader of the Amnesty Programme Committee, Mr. Kenneth Chinda proved abortive as he was not taking his calls.

    When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, said the police was aware, but quickly added that he was still collating information about the incident.

  • Five Policemen declared missing in Rivers

    Five Policemen declared missing in Rivers

    Five policemen attached to the Rivers State Police Command are feared missing after an ambush by gunmen on the Okujagu waterways in Okrika Local Government Area, last Wednesday.

    The command Friday declared them missing and set up a panel to investigate the circumstances of their disappearance.

    It announced the arrest of 53 suspects in connection with the disappearance of the policemen.

    THE Rivers State Police Command on Friday declared five policemen missing after an ambush by unknown gunmen on Wednesday at Okujagu waterways in Okrika Local Government Area.

    Spokesman for the police command, Mr. Ahmad Muhammad, said in a statement that the policemen were on an official mission to the area when they unexpectedly came under gun attack.

    “The policemen went to Okujagu community on a routine police inquiry when they were ambushed by unknown gunmen before they could disembark from the boat that ferried them, they were bombarded with a barrage of heavy gunfire which forced them to scamper for cover,” he said.

    Six policemen, comprising two inspectors and four other officers initially got missing but one – Inspector Aferuan Imoukhuede  – was rescued a day after.

    The police spokesman said: “Sting operations by the command are still on the top gear to rescue the remaining five missing policemen. Fifty-three suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently undergoing interrogation.”

    He said the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Musa Kimo, had set up a “high-powered” investigative panel headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Investigation Department, to unravel the circumstances surrounding the entire incident.

     

     

  • Police arrest notorious cult leader in Rivers

    Police arrest notorious cult leader in Rivers

    The Rivers state Police command Friday paraded a notorious cult leader Mitchel Tamuno and two of his gang members for alleged cult activities and kidnapping of a 14 year-old JS2, female student of a Unity School in the state.

    The victim, (name withheld), was reportedly abducted on her way from evening service, April 14, 2016 around her Abuloma residence in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of the state, and was taken to Elimgbu Community in Obio/Akpor LGA of the state and where she was detained for four days.

    Her captors demanded N10 million ransom from her father who is a Pastor, the sum was yet to be raised before she escaped from the kidnappers’ den, and was taken to a nearby Police station.

    Her abduction and escape led to the arrest of the criminal gang which allegedly holds sway within the Trans-Amadi and Abuloma areas of the state.

    Parading the criminals, spokesman of the command, Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said Tamuno, leader of the dreaded Iceland cult group and his members have long terrorised the area with their criminal activities, including kidnapping and collecting of huge ransom from  innocent residents,  including their own relatives.

    He said one of the suspects Godwin Pina, who is also the informant in several kidnap cases in the area as well as the student’s was arrested when he went to cash the sum of N50, 000 paid into their(kidnappers), account for the feeding and upkeep of their victim, pending when the ransom money would be raised and paid.

    According to Muhammad four AK-47 rifle and hundreds rounds of live ammunitions were recovered from them.

    He assured that peace and tranquility have returned to the area since their arrest and residents could now sleep with their two eyes closed.

    He said, the Police last month arrested 70 suspected kidnappers, cultists and armed robbers across the state. A total of 25 of them were killed in a shootout with the Police, and 11 AK 47 rifles, 17 other assorted firearms and 480 different live ammunition recovered from the suspected criminals.

    He assured that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as possible.

    The three suspects admitted they committed the crime and expressed regrets for their negative lifestyle.

    Earlier in the briefing, the Police narrated, “On April 14, 2016, a young girl of about 14 years was kidnapped while he was on her way back from Church and was taken to an uncompleted building in Elimgbu, Port Harcourt. Her captors kept her there for about four days while they were calling for ransom from her parents.

    “While the kidnappers were fast asleep in the day time, the girl saw a ladder and used it to scale through the fence and escaped. She walked through the forest till she began to hear sound of vehicle and traced it to the road where she waved a vehicle to stop.

    “The driver stooped and she told the driver that she escaped from kidnappers’ den and would want to contact her father, who is a pastor in Bayelsa State.

    “The Good Samaritan called the victim’s father who directed that she be taken to any nearby Police station. Before then, the kidnappers had already called the victim’s demanding N10 million ransom. They equally forwarded an account detail to the victim’s father.

    “One of the kidnapers (Godwin Pina) went to the bank immediately he noticed that the sum of N50, 000 had been paid into the account for the upkeep of their victim, pending when the ransom demanded would be raised. Before then, the police ensured that the account was blocked. He was arrested at the bank.

    “When the suspect was arrested, he then opened up that their boss, Mitchel was staying in Okrika. Then the Anti-kidnapping unit moved to Abam in Okrika and arrested Mitchel and 10 other boys in his house. Two AK 47 rifles were recovered from him. On interrogation, he (Mitchel) said he had other two AK 47 rifles with one Iyalla Appolos somewhere in Ozuboko area of Abuloma, in Port Harcourt City local Government Area of the state. We moved in there and Iyalla was arrested and the two AK 47 rifles were recovered from him.

    “Iyalla does not participate in kidnapping, but his only task is to release the guns to the gang for operations, but whenever they embark on any successful operation and are back, they give him (Iyalla), part of the ransom.”

    “Muhammad continued, Pina confessed that the kidnap gang also planned and executed a female oil mogul in the same Abuloma area and collected N9 million ransom.

    “They also disclosed that Mitchel’s Toyota Camry was always used to move their kidnap victims, including one Chief Ajie from Abuloma and Pina’s Uncle’s wife also. Pina gave information to kidnappers for his uncle’s wife to be kidnapped. N5 million was paid before she was released,” he said.