The Delta State Police Command says it has arrested three armed kidnap suspects at different locations in Sapele and Warri areas of the state.
It said two of the suspects, identified as Oti Shevire and Amos were arrested after they were rescued from a mob for trying to kidnap a 17-year- old boy.
In a statement, the Command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspects upon interrogation, confessed to the crime and led the police to their hideout, where the victim was rescued.
Edafe said another suspect, Aaron Uko, was arrested by policemen attached to the Eagle-Net patrol team while on visibility and confidence-building patrol along Effurun roundabout, Warri.
According to him, “Police operatives attached to Dragon 26 and Dragon 29, while on intensive stop and search duty along Warri/Sapele road, intercepted a Volkswagen Jetta commercial vehicle marked: PTN 242 TA, conveying some passengers from Sapele to Warri.
“The team subjected the passengers to a search, during which one locally made cut-to-size gun loaded with two live cartridges was recovered from one Aaron Uko, 22 of Sapele.
“The suspect concealed the gun in his body close to his private part, and through preliminary investigation, it was discovered that he bought the gun in 2018 from a man nicknamed “OSE” for N27,000 and buried it in his house before leaving for Ghana. He was arrested and taken into custody with the exhibit recovered.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in Asaba, has paraded two suspects for alleged impersonation of its personnel with the intent to extort unsuspecting members of the public with dangerous weapons.
The NSCDC Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Emeka Okwechime, who paraded the suspects, said they were apprehended at an illegal checkpoint along Jedo road in Okpe Local council of the State in the process of extorting money from unsuspecting road users, particularly truck and tanker’s drivers.
He said the suspects identified as Lucky Emofuoreta and Goodness Osorochukwu Francis, were caught red-handed, fully kitted on uniforms similar to that of NSCDC regalia, at about 2300hrs on Friday midnight.
Okwechime said the suspects were found with one Honda Odyssey bus, gold colour, marked: KPR 113 SX, one handcuff, a pair of jungle boots, and two jack knives amongst other unlawful items.
He further explained that following a series of complaints by members of the public on the issue of multiple checkpoints wrongly perceived to be men of the NSCDC, the State Commandant, Akinsanya Iskilu Abiodun, ordered the Intelligence and Investigation departments to deploy plain cloth officers on routine patrol and surveillance across the state to fish out the identities of those involved.
