The Rivers State Police Command has arrested 214 persons suspected to be involved in kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism .
Immediate past Commissioner of Police in the state, Chris Ezike, announced the arrests yesterday, during his last media briefing on the achievements of the Command in last two months in Port Harcourt.
Ezike stated that during the period under review, 22 kidnapped suspects were arrested, while eight others were killed and 11 victims were rescued by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command.
He said also, that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the state arrested 85 suspected armed robbers, while 29 others were killed, just as 107 suspected members of Dey-Gbam, Dey-Well, Vikings and Iceland cult groups were nabbed by the Anti-Cultist Unit within the period under preview.
The erstwhile Commissioner of Police, while parading some of the suspects, said 145 others had been charged to court.
According to him, policemen recovered 790 arms and ammunition, as well as 41 different brands of vehicle, 30 motorcycles and N470,000 cash from the suspects.
Ezike attributed the achievements recorded in the last two months to the support the Command received from the State governor, Nyesom Wike, and members of the public.
He pointed out that the two months emergency period on violent crimes in the state had yielded a drastic reduction, adding: “I am humbled by the desired outcome of the operation. We have re-awakened the service delivery zeal, orientation and courage of our workforce to meet up with the challenges of their expected duties, responsibilities and functions. We have added greater impetus to crime-fighting with a robust, more coordinated, intelligence- driven strategy and the result is good and amazing,” Ezike remarked.
