Rivers: Police foil bank attack, seize arms cache

Police in Rivers State said in Port Harcourt on Monday that it seized a cache of arms in a special operation carried out in Ahoada Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Mbu, told newsmen that the arms were seized after the police foiled an attack on two bullion vans belonging to a first generation bank.

He said that the suspects had attempted to rob the bullion vans before security operatives intervened.

Mbu said that a suspect during interrogation confessed to the crime and thereafter revealed their arms cache.

The commissioner said the command seized two General Purpose Machine guns with 593 rounds of 7.62 live ammunition, and eight AK-47 rifles with 1635 rounds of 7.62 live ammunition.

Others were six AK-49 rifles, G3 rifle, two Pump Action guns, 22 locally made guns, 182 live cartridges, two gas cylinders and two welding pipes.

“One Volvo saloon car, Delta SAP 25 AE; one Mercedes 190E, Akwa Ibom AA 848 RNN and one Nissan Pathfinder Jeep, Ogun OGE 288AH were also recovered.

“We have also arrested a suspect who specialises on changing car plate numbers with the intention of deceiving security agents,” he said.

Mbu said that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), in a separate operation, seized 30 bags of Indian hemp, 64 wraps of Indian hemp, 10 litres of gunpowder and 38 wraps of cocaine.

Similarly, Mbu said the police recovered and seized 38 firearms, 2,631 rounds of ammunition, 182 cartridges and 75 magazines in its operations in July.

He said the police also arrested  88 armed robbery suspects and 16 suspected kidnappers and recovered six vehicles, including motorcycles, during the month.

Mbu said that the Police Command in the state had adopted a more robust and advanced method of carrying out its operations and added that the strategy was yielding results. (NAN)