Six security guards attached to a private security company have been detained in a police cell for allegedly stealing and attempting to sell church property.

The suspects were in charge of safeguarding life and property at the Rivers State Headquarters of Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, at Kaduna Street, D-line, Port Harcourt.

The Guardian gathered that the church guards were intercepted by a local vigilante group, known as Port Harcourt Local Council PHALGA) Security Watch, while conveying heavy iron rods and other items suspected to belong to the church to a place in D-Line where they would be sold.

Chairman of PHALGA Security Watch, Victor Ohaji, in an interview explained that he got intelligence at about 1:00a.m. on Sunday that the church guards were conveying iron rods and other church property to an unknown destination with a truck.

Ohaji said he quickly mobilised his men, stormed the church, and trailed the suspects to where the property was about to be sold.

He said the receivers of the stolen items on sighting them, took to their heels, but the six guards were arrested and the stolen items were retrieved.

Similarly, the Vigilante Chairman disclosed that a man in his early 30s identified as Chigbo was arrested at about 3:00a.m. on Sunday, while in the act of vandalising a truck belonging to the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), which was parked in front of a church at Ikoku axis of Ikwerre Road.

The driver of the truck, Chijioke Ani, said he left the truck at the front of a church to get diesel, but on returning, he noticed that the truck compacting component had been vandalised.

Ani explained that he was informed by residents of the area that Chigbo, who allegedly vandalised the truck, was apprehended by the vigilante group, saying he went to the Mile 1 Police Division where the suspect was detained to identify his items.

Consequently, police officers from Olu-Obasanjo Police Division came and took the six church security personnel to the station after Ohaji alerted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Olu-Obansajo station, while Chigbo, who was caught vandalising RIWAMA truck was handed over to Mile 1 Police Division, Diobu.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, has confirmed that the five security guards have been arrested, while investigation into the matter was ongoing.