Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command has apprehended a 13-member criminal syndicate involved in hijacking and diverting trailer loads of goods, following an attempted burglary investigation.
Spokesperson of the Rivers state Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko made this known in a statement Today.
She said the suspects were arrested after the command received a distress call on a burglary attempt at warehouses in Elimgbu, Obio/Akpor LGA..
According to her, two of the arrested suspects were security personnel: West Isaac (08NA/61/2653), a corporal in the Nigerian Army, and Jabila Kammangar, alias ‘Kaka,’ an officer in the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Both confessed to abandoning their posts to partake in lucrative criminal activities in Rivers State.
Corporal West, a 36-year-old father of four from Buguma, joined the Army in 2008 and served in Delta State. He failed to return from a sick pass, remaining AWOL for over a month. He disclosed that he met Kaka while serving in the Army’s Anti-Bunkering Unit. Their criminal activities included warehouse raids and hijacking trailers. They used military gear and a white Hilux van to intimidate and assault drivers, then diverted the goods to waiting receivers.
West’s confession led to the arrest of three other Army personnel: Lance Corporal Abdul Musa (13NA/70/10545), Lance Corporal Mgbe Jeoffrey (16NA/75/6896), and Corporal Innocent Okwoli (12NA/68/6552). Additionally, eight civilian collaborators were apprehended: Olisa Emeka, George Obilor, Sampson Wilson, Alfred Abeke, Barry John, Auwalu Aliyu, Uchenna Nwali, and Alhaji Sofinu Haruna.
The three implicated soldiers have been dismissed from the Nigerian Army and handed over to the police for prosecution.
