Victor Duruamaku, Owerri
Imo State police command has in the past two months arrested 184 criminal suspects in the state.
At a press briefing at the command’s headquarters in Owerri on Wednesday, the Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, explained that the crimes committed were bordering on kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery, cultism, murder, defilement, rape, sexual assault, vehicle snatching, stealing, receiving stolen property and other violent crimes.
According to the police boss, the operations also led to the rescue of three kidnapped victims unharmed pointing out that in the course of these operations, the Command recovered two AK-47 rifles, eleven AK-47 magazines, three M16 rifle magazines, five locally made double-barrel/cut-to-size guns, four locally made pistols, a total of 382 rounds of assorted ammunition comprising 138 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 148 rounds of M16 rifle ammunition, 76 rounds of 9mm Beretta pistol ammunition, and 20 rounds of GPMG ammunition, 18 live cartridges, one empty Beretta magazine, one blue Toyota Highlander SUV without a registration number, one ash-coloured Mercedes-Benz GLK Jeep with registration number YAB 831 DQ, three Q-Link motorcycles, one Sumec generator set, eight branded cult caps, one human skull, and assorted criminal charms.
The Commissioner noted that prominent among these cases is the arrest of a notorious kidnapping suspect and the successful rescue of three kidnapped victims in Ohaji/Egbema L.G.A.
He further said, “Following the arrest and confessional statements of two kidnapping kingpins, Confidence Vitalis of Ukwugba, Egbema in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of the State, and Ishiaya Rejoice of Emuoha in Rivers State, operatives of the State Command on 6th July, 2026 carried out a follow-up operation at a suspected kidnappers’ and terrorists’ hideout located within the Egbema River creek.
The CP recalled that on 30th June, 2026, the Command successfully rescued a kidnapped victim in Egbema who was abducted on 27th June, 2026 by the same kidnapping syndicate. Intelligence obtained from the rescue operation, the subsequent arrest of the kingpins, and their confessional statements led operatives to the suspects’ hideout, culminating in the latest operation.
He further disclosed that during the operation, the criminal camp was successfully dislodged and seven additional suspects were arrested and the following items were recovered: one AK-47 rifle, four AK-47 magazines, sixteen rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, three locally made cut-to-size guns, sixteen live cartridges, one empty Beretta magazine, twenty rounds of GPMG ammunition, one human skull, and assorted criminal charms.
The Commissioner told the press that the rescued victims identified some of the arrested suspects as members of the gang responsible for their abduction, adding that further investigation established that the same criminal gang was responsible for the killing of two personnel of the Imo State Homeland Security at Umuguma, Owerri West Local Government Area, on 16th May, 2026, during an attempt to kidnap Mrs. Betty Oluchi Dike.
In a related development, the CP said on 7th July, 2026, acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Imo State Police Command stormed the Obiakpu swamps in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, where they recovered an additional cache of 346 rounds of live ammunition, comprising 122 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 148 rounds of M16 rifle ammunition, and 76 rounds of 9mm Beretta pistol ammunition. The operatives also recovered seven magazines, comprising four AK-47 rifle magazines and three M16 rifle magazines.
He explained that in a different development, detectives of the Imo State Police Command arrested Nduka Iheme, ‘m’, a 58-year-old resident of Umuakabia, Orsu LGA, on June 24, 2026, for alleged sexual abuse.
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