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Police smash deadly kidnap gang of ex-convicts in Rivers

Published

3 months ago

March 2, 2024

Police smash deadly kidnap gang of ex-convicts in Rivers

Operatives of Rivers Police Command have busted a gang formed by some unrepentant ex-convicts for the purpose of kidnapping car snatching and other dangerous crimes in the state.

The area of operation of the gang was in the Ikwerre Road axis of Port Harcourt and areas spanning Mile 3 to Rumuokoro parts of the capital city.

According to Rivers Police Command, the ex-convicts led by one Chinoso Emmanuel, a father of three, began the process for the formation of the gang as inmates of Port Harcourt Maximum Security Correctional Facility.

He said the gang was busted after their attempt to kidnap a lady, Theresa Anyanwu was foiled on the 14th of January, 2023.

According to SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the Spokesperson for the Command, “The convener of the gang, Chinonso Emmanuel, 37, a native of Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, is a father of three and had been imprisoned on charges of attempted murder. He was in prison from February 2016 to November 2023, and at that time, he rose to prominence in the penitentiary and became a ‘korofo’, i.e. a hostel leader in prison. He used his influence to assemble a group of men who would serve a purpose outside the walls”.

According to one of the arrested gang members, Onyemachi Samuel, 33, detained for cultism, Chinonso used his position to bring favours to those he had plans for. He spoke of a time when he had a skin infection and was stranded in prison, and Chinonso approached him and offered help, giving him a bar of medicated soap to deal with his malady. That, he said, made him feel indebted to him. When he was released in December 2023, Chinonso, who had been released a month before, reached out to him. He also told the story of another gang member, Emeka. Emeka had been sent to solitary confinement for bad behavior within the prison. While he was there, Chinonso offered him membership of the gang, and in exchange, he began sharing his rations with him.

Another member of the gang in Police custody, Prince Dengo, 27, was imprisoned for gravely injuring a person in a street fight and was released on the 12th of December, 2023. Shortly after his release, he was approached by Chinonso around Rumuokoro, where he had begun working as a park lout (Agbero).

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Chinonso was released from prison custody on the 3rd of November, 2023, and immediately hatched his plan. Upon his release from Prison in November 2023, he began to actualise his plot to unleash mayhem. Under the guise of being a mechanic in Rumuokoro, he began reconnecting with the ex-offenders he had met in prison. The first person he connected with was Emeka, who had been released a few months earlier. He also scouted for recently released ex-offenders. With them, he put together a gang that appeared to be growing in mettle until the Rivers State Police Command quashed them.

The Command says “the gang was arrested when they attempted to kidnap one, Theresa Anyanwu, on the 14th of January, 2023. On the day of the operation, the impenitent bunch gathered under the Rumuokoro bridge to develop a strategy on how to identify and kidnap potential victims. They resolved that they would hire a tricycle ‘keke’ and use it to follow flamboyant cars discreetly before pouncing to seize them.

“They spotted Theresa in a Lexus SUV and began trailing her in the hired tricycle, and when she got to Woji, they saw an opportunity to swerve in front of her. She stepped on the brakes as they got in front of her, and they proceeded to alight the tricycle and board her car. They bundled her into the back of her car as one of them took the wheels and zoomed off, but the victim did not stop fighting them off. She continued to struggle, attempting to open the back door. Her struggles yielded success when she managed to open the door and stuck her leg out. The gang member charged with securing her pulled her back, but she had already drawn considerable attention from onlookers. Some commercial Keke drivers noticed the commotion as the vehicle passed them and gave chase.

“The gang noticed they were being followed, abandoned the victim and the car, and took to their heels. In the confusion that ensued, the gang leader, Chinomso Emmanuel’s phone, fell out of his pocket into the victim’s car. The phone was then used to make arrests of the gang leader and other members of the gang.

“Recovered from the gang are one machete and two daggers. Yet to be recovered is the locally made gun that the gang revealed to the Police was a recent acquisition as it was in the possession of a gang member still at large.”

Meanwhile,the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu commended the swift and effective action taken by the officers to apprehend the criminals and noted that the operation underscores the unwavering dedication and commitment of law enforcement personnel to preserving peace and security in Rivers communities.

He also urges the public to remain vigilant and collaborate with the police in the ongoing efforts to combat crimes and criminality in the State.

Police smash deadly kidnap gang of ex-convicts in Rivers

metro

Rainstorms kill seven, many others injured

Published

9 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Trends Admin

Rainstorms kill seven, many others injured

No fewer than seven people have been confirmed dead as rainstorms affect Houston, Texas, authorities announced Friday.

The three new deaths occurred after Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States, was slammed Thursday by severe rain and winds gusting up to 100 miles (160 kilometres) per hour, leaving downtown streets coated in glass from broken windows.

Residential areas were littered with downed trees and power wires, and the National Weather Service reported that a tornado had touched down in Cypress.

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According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the new victims included an 85-year-old woman who died after her mobile home was struck by lightning and caught fire.

A 60-year-old man was found unresponsive and pronounced dead after going to his truck to try and power his oxygen tank after electricity was cut across wide swaths of the storm-hit area.

A 57-year-old man collapsed and died while trying to move a downed power pole. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Thursday.

Rainstorms kill seven, many others injured

metro

Police inspector dismissed, three others demoted over N29.8m theft

Published

9 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Trends Admin

Force Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Olumuyiwa Adejobi

Police inspector dismissed, three others demoted over N29.8m theft

Adabo Mohammed, a police inspector has been dismissed over alleged involvement in robbery and kidnapping in the federal capital territory (FCT).

Announcing this on Friday, May 17, the Nigeria Police Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi said Mohammed and five others were members of an armed robbery gang allegedly responsible for the stealing of N29.8 million from a victim during a robbery operation in the Gwagwalada area of Abuja.

The dismissed officer was also part of a gang that kidnapped one Ikechukwu Emmanuel Okafor, in the Tunga Maje area of Abuja and collected N4.4 million in ransom. He further revealed that Mohammed has been charged to court.

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Adejobi also disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun has also approved the demotion of three inspectors to the rank of sergeant over alleged extortion.

The demoted officers as Osagie Efford, Semiu Agbekin, and Francis Ahuen, who were attached to the special tactical squad (STS) in the FCT. It was gathered that they intercepted an unregistered Mercedes Benz at the Gwarinpa area of the territory and “forced the occupants to part with the total sum of N29.4m”.

Adejobi added;

“While the monies have been returned to the complainants, the officers were subjected to orderly room trial in line with extant laws, and have been demoted.”

Police inspector dismissed, three others demoted over N29.8m theft

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Breaking: Women protest against return of armed Okuama youths (+ Photos)

Published

10 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Trends Admin

Breaking: Women protest against return of armed Okuama youths (+ Photos)

The women of Okoloba community in Bomadi local government area, weekend, protested against what they called the return of armed youths of Okuama in Ughelli South local government area, who they alleged were threatening the peace of the riverine area.

The placard carrying women, led by the chairlady of Okoloba community, Mrs Timipakebi Goodwin, and secretary, Mrs Mary Koibi, staged a peace protest on black attires along the coastal fringe of Okoloba community, chanting against violence and bloodbath, as well as sending an S.O.S. to the federal government to come to their aid.

Some inscriptions on the placards read: ‘We say No to violence’, ‘Enough of the killings on our land’, ‘Armed Okuama youths returning in a commando style’, ‘We say No to the return of armed youths of Okuama’, ‘Resettle Okuama people among their Ewu brothers in Ughelli South LGA’, ‘We mourn the killing of the 17 soldiers’ and among others.

The chairlady of Okoloba, Mrs Goodwin, speaking to newsmen with a written address that was made available to security apparatuses, which include the police, DSS, NSCDC, JTF as well as the acting chairman of Bomadi local government council, noted that the latest killing by the youths of Okuama showed that they could kill human beings at the slightest provocation.

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The women’s presentations as well as the written address read in part: “First, we the women of Okoloba community sympathize with the killing of 17 soldiers and officers of the Nigerian army on a peace and rescue mission to Okuama, following the kidnap of our son. We sincerely mourn their untimely death and pray for the repose of their souls. We also pray for their families.

“However, less than 24 hours after the exit of the troops from Okuama, fresh crisis erupted with another neighbouring community, culminating in the killing of one person while three other persons were seriously injured. The person who was killed and those sustaining machete wounds were alleged to have gone there to loot.

“The latest killing showed that the people of Okuama can kill a human at the slightest provocation; the sanctity of human life means nothing to them. It also shows that neighbouring Ijaw communities like Okoloba are not safe.

“So, resetting the people of Okuama in their present location, which is in-between communities in Bomadi local government area, is an attempt to encourage further communal clashes and bloodbath.

“Just last week, youths of Okuama community came out of the Mein-toruabubor creek, which leads to Ewu, on three speedboats and all of them on camouflage. They shot sporadically in the air before proceeding to OKuama. They moved to and fro the creek three times, and at every time they shot their guns in the air at the entrance of the creek.

“We are calling on the federal government to come to our aid, and the panacea to these incessant clashes and killings is for the government to relocate Okuama to Ewu clan in Ughelli South Local Government Area, where they truly and rightly belong.