Onslaught of criminals on innocent of people was brought in check by the Delta State Police Command, as seven suspects were arrested for two separate armed robbery cases.
This was made known by the police spokesman in the State, DSP Bright Edafe, in a statement on Sunday, August 22, 2021.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ari Mohammed Ali, had, in the statement, disclosed that the command’s police operatives received a call on August 18, at about 8:25pm, informing them that a four-man armed robbery gang was operating on MTN road, by the pipeline in Sapele.
This, CP Ali said, made Divisional Police Officer in charge of Sapele Division to lead a crack team, in collaboration with vigilante, to counter the armed robbers.
At the operation, four suspects, identified as James Wisdom a.k.a Young Diamond (25), Peter Ayodele (22), Ikolo Micheal (18) and Francis Success, a female, (26), were arrested.
Recovered from them were three cut-to-size single-barrel guns,18 live cartridges and a Lexus car with registration number YAB 750 BP.
Also, on the same day, at about 10am, the police boss said that the command’s operatives got information that three armed men burgled a house on Old Benin Road, Oghara, at about 2am and made away with phones valued N400,000.
Acting on the information, the Divisional Police Officer, Oghara, directed operatives to investigate and bring the armed robbers to book.
The detectives, who adopted intelligence-led operation, leading to the arrest of the three suspects at a hemp joint.
Their names were given as Choice Macaulay (26), Endurance Ejokirehie (27) and Junior Macaulay (21).
Exhibits recovered from them included three phones, a dummy gun and iron rod used for the robbery.
“Suspects confessed to the crime and the victims have identified the stolen phones as theirs. On further investigation, it was discovered that one of the suspects, Choice Macaulay, who is the leader of the gang, was arrested before and charged to court, but was later released,” the police commissioner said.
He added that the suspect led the operatives to their hideout where a locally-made gun and two live cartridges were dug out of the ground where they were buried.
The Commissioner of Police stated further that investigations were ongoing on the cases, and the suspects would be arraigned in court at their conclusion.
Ali warned those who are criminally-minded people that the state would not be made safe for them under his watch, as the police in the command would continue to go after them.
He also mandated area commanders, DPOs and tactical commanders not to relent in the fight against crime and criminality.
