Rivers Police Crack Down: Fake Soldier Arrested, 47 Firearms Recovered

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested 18 suspects, including a man accused of impersonating a soldier, while recovering 47 firearms, 12 stolen vehicles and several rounds of ammunition in a series of operations conducted across the state over the past two months.

Commissioner of Police Olugbenga Adepoju disclosed this on Thursday while parading the suspects and recovered exhibits at the command headquarters in Port Harcourt.
One of the major arrests involved 49-year-old Andrew Atausi, who was apprehended on August 10 around the Ada George area of Port Harcourt. He was allegedly dressed in military uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Army colours when police operatives intercepted him.
According to the commissioner, investigations revealed that Atausi was not a member of the Armed Forces and was suspected of involvement in vehicle theft.
Three Toyota Hilux vehicles without registration numbers and a Toyota Corona Premio with registration number BNY 380 ES were recovered from him. Police also found an axe and military accoutrements, while the vehicles were discovered to have tampered chassis and engine numbers.
Adepoju also announced the arrest of three suspects linked to the June 29 attack on police officers conducting stop-and-search operations in Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area. The attack resulted in the deaths of two officers, injuries to others and the theft of two AK-47 rifles.
The suspects were identified as Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, the alleged gang leader; Chinedu Owhor, 42; and Kamachi Joe, 28, who was described as the gang’s armourer.
The commissioner said operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU-AKU, arrested the suspects, who subsequently led investigators to their hideout in Omagwa, where the two stolen AK-47 rifles were recovered. Efforts, he added, were ongoing to arrest another member of the gang.
The command also arrested members of a kidnapping syndicate operating in Oyigbo Local Government Area. The suspects allegedly confessed to carrying out abductions in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
Two additional suspects, Anele Ogbogu and Kenneth Eke, were later arrested in connection with the same network. Police recovered an AK-47 rifle and a submachine gun from them.
In another operation, officers arrested Boma Dienye Allison following a complaint that he threatened his wife with a firearm. A search reportedly led to the recovery of two Beretta pistols, 97 rounds of live ammunition and a live cartridge. Further investigations resulted in the arrest of two other suspects.
Police also arrested two suspected members of a one-chance robbery syndicate as well as two men allegedly involved in other criminal activities, recovering firearms and cartridges during the operations.
Summarising the achievements, Adepoju said the command recovered 47 firearms of different calibres, 102 rounds of live ammunition, five live cartridges, 11 cutlasses and an axe.
He assured residents that the command would continue with intelligence-led operations in collaboration with other security agencies.
Adepoju warned that Rivers State would not be allowed to become a safe haven for criminals, assuring that the police would identify and dismantle criminal networks, recover their weapons and prosecute those arrested.