The Rivers State Police Command has said that it was still investigating the circumstance that led to the death of a Rivers State-based mechanic, Chima Ikwunado.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Daudaura, said this on Wednesday while parading a group of cultists and armed robbers, who were arrested in Etche Local Government Area of the state.
Dandaura, who also displayed a cache of arms and ammunition, including AK 47 rifles and pump action guns, urged the people of the state to be patient and wait till the end of the police investigation.
“I will talk to the people of Rivers State on the Ikokwu (Chima Ikwunado) issue. I felt it is not yet time for me to speak on the matter because it is still under investigation.
“I promise that at the end of the investigation, I will brief the press on the outcome of that investigation. So, I appeal to the good people of Rivers State to exercise patience; we are not suppressing anything or unduly helping anybody.
“I am going to talk to you at the right time and I am going to disclose the outcome of our investigation to members of the public. Exercise patience on this issue; I promise the people of Rivers State that we are not going to leave any stone untouched,” Dandaura said.
On the arrest of hoodlums between the December and February, the CP told newsmen that a group of suspected cultists and armed robbers, who had been terrorising Etche LGA and its environs were apprehended by his men.
The suspects, according to him were arrested in Obibi forest, Etche, during an operation by police in conjunction with sister agencies, acting on a tip-off.
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He identified arms and ammunition recovered from the forest as three AK 47 rifles, one pump action gun, one Barretta pistol, two locally made pistols, six magazines and one cut-to-size gun.
Speaking on another sting operation, Daudaura added,
“Operatives of Operation Sting, in a combined operation with other sister security agencies, which lasted for two weeks in two LGAs of Khana and Gokana, security agencies stormed two camps belonging to hoodlums and destroyed over 20 camps in the Ogoni forest and recovered the following arms and ammunition;
“Four AK 47 rifles, four pump action guns, one Barretta pistols, one local made pistol, seven magazines, 60 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, one wooden carved rubber gun, sirens, charms and two toy guns.
“On Christmas eve, in another well-coordinated operation by personnel of the Tactical Units, some bushes were combed at the Rumuji Emuhua, Ogbakiri, Rumuodogo and Ndele communities, where hoodlums had taken over.
“The operation in the community lasted for two weeks, which resulted in the arrest of kidnappers, armed robbers and the recovery of large cache of arms. It was in the course of this operation that Ekwueme Brown (alias Lucifer) was killed in a crossfire between the police and the hoodlums.”
The CP explained that though the Command was always pressurized to release some suspected bandits, he promised that the police in the state would not come under such pressure.
