- Agency Report
The Police Command in Akwa Ibom says it raided a criminal hideout and arrested a suspected notorious criminal allegedly involved in arson, robbery and other criminal activities.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfon John, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Uyo.
John said that the hideout was around Ikot Akpabong Village in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of the state.
She said that the operation followed credible intelligence received on Aug. 31, about the activities of the suspected criminal gang.
According to her, the operatives subsequently carried out a coordinated operation targeting the gang’s suspected hideout.
“At about 0450 hours on Thursday, Sept. 3, operatives struck the hideout and successfully arrested the suspect, a 29-year-old male,” she said.
John said that the operatives recovered one locally made short gun, one live cartridge and two machetes during the operation.
According to her, the suspect is currently in police custody and assisting investigators with useful information that can lead to the identification and arrest of other members of the gang and their associates.
The Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, CP Baba Azare, commended the operatives for their prompt response, courage and intelligence-driven approach to crime prevention.
Azare reaffirmed that the command would continue to sustain operational pressure on criminal elements across the state, particularly those involved in robbery, arson, cultism, kidnapping, illegal possession of firearms and other violent crimes.
He warned criminals and their collaborators that there would be no safe haven for anyone threatening the peace and security of Akwa Ibom.
The commissioner said that the police would continue to deploy intelligence-led operations, strategic patrols, raids and other lawful measures to identify, apprehend and bring criminal suspects to justice.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and strengthen their partnership with the police by providing timely and credible information on suspicious movements, criminal hideouts and other activities capable of threatening public safety.
Azaze assured members of the public that information supplied to the police would be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
The commissioner said that the command remained resolute in its mandate to protect lives and property, suppress crime and criminality, and ensure that residents could go about their lawful activities without fear. NAN