The Rivers State Police Command has seized an illegally possessed gun that was concealed in a loaf of bread in a stop and search operation in Port Harcourt, resulting in the arrest of the culprit in their bid to reduce criminal activities in the state.
The police command disclosed that the stop and search exercise was conducted by its personnel along Azikiwe Road by Red Cross Junction, Port Harcourt in line with the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju.
In the course of the exercise, the police stopped a vehicle and conducted search on its occupants.
Agabe Kaborlo of the Police Public Relations Unit on Friday stated that Browning pistol was found ingeniously placed in a loaf of bread that belonged to a passenger named Braya Nanas, a Borikiri, New Road, Port Harcourt resident.
The police said further investigation showed that the gun did not have any visible serial number.
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It was reported that the suspect reportedly confessed to the possession of the gun and informed the police that he bought it at Okrika for N800,000.
In reaction to the above development, the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, charged the citizens to stay alert and security conscious since the recovery of a gun hidden in a loaf of bread shows how criminal elements are now employing deception in order to bypass the authorities.
He recommended that the citizens should be on guard with respect to suspicious people, objects, or activities around them and report any security threat at the nearest police station.
The commissioner further warned citizens against carrying, keeping, and accepting things whose contents are not known, which can unwittingly help criminals in their operations.
The commissioner also appealed to the citizens to continue assisting the police in their work through providing credible information to enable policing to be effective through close cooperation between the police and the citizenry.
The Rivers State Police Command assured its commitment to safeguard lives and properties and asked the citizens to be alert under its public safety slogan, “If You See Something, Say Something.”
The Command further encouraged residents to contact the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) and Control Room during emergency using the numbers provided: 07057605209, 07057605256, 08120822987, 07072323049 and 08032003514 respectively.
