The Rivers State Police Command has busted a notorious one-chance gang that had been terrorizing residents of Port Harcourt for over two years.
The operation, led by the Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, resulted in the arrest of three suspects and the recovery of exhibits.
The suspects were identified as Thaddeus Sunday Ogu, 42-year-old, male, from Orlu Community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State; Chinagorom Eze, 35, female, from Ekpiga Community in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State and Favour Yusuf, 30, from Plateau State.
Parading the suspects alongside other suspects at the state police command on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, who represented the state Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, said the suspects had been operating for the past two years along the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway.
CP Disu explained that a Police patrol team on September 4, 2024, at approximately 9 pm, spotted the gang robbing their latest victim around Garrison flyover.
He said the operatives swiftly apprehended the suspects in their operational vehicle, a purple-coloured Volkswagen Golf 3, with registration number RIVERS -ABU 738 LS.
He disclosed the gang leader, Ogu attempted to evade arrest by opening fire on Police Operatives, resulting in him sustaining bodily injuries.
The CP said the suspect was rushed to the Police Clinic in Port Harcourt, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
He said: “The gang that had been operating for over two years have Confessed to the crime and revealed to the Police their mode of operation.
“During interrogation, the gang confessed to the crime and revealed their modus operandi. They would create a single passenger space in the front seat, while the gang members occupied the other spaces. They would then threaten and dispossess their victims of their valuables, pushing them out of the moving car. The stolen items would be sold to awaiting receivers, with the proceeds shared among the gang members.
“Exhibits recovered from the suspects include Their operational Volkswagen Golf 3 car; One locally made pistol and One live cartridge.”
The police boss noted that the suspects and exhibits are currently in Police custody as investigations continue.
Meanwhile, being interviewed, Chinagorom Eze, one of the suspects, said she had been arrested for the same crime in Delta State and was consequently sentenced.
She, however, denied using arms and diabolic means in their trade, saying, “We did not use guns to operate, I have been doing this job for two years I have not used gun.
“How we operate is that there be three passengers behind the car and one person in front so we wait for one unsuspecting passenger and when the person enters, one of them will feign distress to distract the passenger while is distracted, the rest will pick the passenger’s valuables and zoom off. They insisted that the person do not partake in voodoo or use arms.”
In a related development, three suspects involved in child trafficking and rescued a one-year-old baby boy were also paraded
The incident occurred on August 25, 2024, when operatives from the Ubima Divisional Headquarters received a distress call.
Disu the victim, Queen Orlu, 20-year-old, was found lying unconscious in Omeka Farmland at Ucheabuor in Ikwerre Local Government of the state with multiple injuries and her intestines protruding from a stomach wound.
Disu explained that Investigations revealed that the suspect identified as Polycarp Uzoma, from Akwa in Ohaji LGA of Imo State, lured the victim into a bush path, attacked her, and left her for dead.
He said Uzoma then sold the victim’s one-year-old baby boy, Desire Orlu, to Happiness Amadi for N1,400,000.
He added that one Chinyere Ordu, an auxiliary nurse, brokered the deal and received N800,000 as part payment.
He added that the three suspects have confessed to the crime, and the police have recovered N800,000 and a bicycle as exhibits.
He further stated that the rescued baby boy has been reunited with his mother, who is currently receiving medical treatment at the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
He said: “The suspects and exhibits are in police custody and will be charged in court upon the conclusion of the investigation.”