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Army Raids Hideout, Arrest Six Suspected Political Thugs In Rivers

By Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt
11 April 2015   |   6:39 am
Six suspected political thugs who unleashed violence on voters during the March 28 elections in Rivers State have been arrested, the Army in Port Harcourt has said.

army raidsSix suspected political thugs who unleashed violence on voters during the March 28 elections in Rivers State have been arrested, the Army in Port Harcourt has said.

The army 2 Brigade Commander, Brig. Gen. Koko Essien told journalists yesterday that the suspects were arrested after an extensive exchange of gunfire.

He said that one suspect who fled the scene with multiple gunshot wounds would soon be apprehended as soldiers were currently on his trail.

Essien said: “We want you (journalists) to have a view of many things we have been doing in other to take out as much arms as possible from the streets and make the environment safe for people to go out and vote.

“We have been conducting series of raids in areas that we are having information on the concentration of hoodlums and political thugs.

“Yesterday (Thursday), in Mile 3 (Wimpey) area in a location popularly known as Barracks, we raided the place based on information we got and we recovered arms and ammunitions.

“We arrested six suspects – one was shot and he is in the military hospital taking treatment. We recovered from the criminals two AK 47 riffles with 176 rounds of (live) ammunitions, seven magazines, some (144) raps of Indian hemp, money (N298, 500.00), and 10 cell phones.”

Essien said that troops had been deployed at flash points to confront any form of electoral violence during and after the Governorship and House of Assembly elections today (Saturday).

He assured that the military will stop at nothing to make sure that the streets, city, hinterlands, waterways are safe for people to go out and vote candidates of their choice.

In his reaction, the suspected leader of the gang, Prince Uwabunkeonye, said he was not among the thugs who engaged in a shootout with security agents during the March 28 elections.

Uwabunkeonye also denied ownership of the arms, admitting that only 144 packs of Indian hemp were recovered at his apartment during his arrest.

It would be recalled that a soldier and two persons were shot dead in the shootout between security agents and suspected political thugs during the recent presidential election on March 28.

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