Two ex-convicts were taken into custody by Rivers State police in the Elelenwo community of the Obio/Akpor local government area on suspicion of armed robbery.
The accused and their fugitive accomplices have a long history of terrorizing the neighborhood, according to SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the state police spokesperson.
Iringe-Koko revealed in Port Harcourt on Thursday that the suspects had been under police surveillance for a while as a result of multiple reports of the gang attacking the locals violently.
After a victim was robbed of valuables on December 1, the police launched stop-and-search operations, surveillance, and routine patrols in the area. This was the current occurrence that resulted in their arrest.
“The operation resulted in the arrest of a 27-year-old ex-convict who claimed to work as a bus conductor and was recently released from a correctional centre.
Upon his arrest, he was found in possession of a locally-made pistol and confessed to serving a 22-year-old gang leader,” she explained.
The representative went on to say that the arrested suspect had admitted to being an expert at both drug sales and gang-related gun maintenance.
Following further inquiries, the authorities discovered that the gang leader had a seven-room brothel that he used as a base for robberies and as a place to hide out.
“The alleged gang leader was apprehended on Dec. 10 at Green City Estate in Elelenwo, leading to relief among the community’s already traumatised residents. Recovered items from the suspect include an iPhone XX, packs of marijuana, POS machines, and locally-made pistols,” Iringe-Koko stated.
She mentioned that the accused gang leader had recently been freed from a penitentiary facility and had admitted to using the brothel as a front for his illegal activities. He had also been implicated in a murder and robbery case.
Iringe-Koko assured the public that the suspects would soon be arraigned and that the goal of the ongoing investigations was to apprehend the gang members who were on the run.
(NAN)