The Police in Rivers State have arrested a suspected Vikings cult leader in a sting operation and recovered one portable English-made pistol.
 
They also arrested six suspects for various crimes and recovered stolen vehicles among other valuables. Parading the suspect, alongside other suspected kidnappers and armed robbers, the police said the suspects before their arrests were responsible for most of the armed robberies and kidnappings perpetrated in the state.
  
Addressing newsmen at the state headquarters, Moscow road, Port Harcourt, yesterday, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Nwonyi Emeka, explained that a team of operatives of anti-cultism unit of the Command stormed a criminal hideout in Bomu Tia, in Tai Local Council of the state and arrested one Kenneth Nkpe, who is a member of Supreme Vikings confraternity.
    
Nwonyi said one portable English-made barrel pistol was recovered from him and upon interrogation he confessed that he bought the pistol from a Filipino. 
         
He added that an investigation has commenced to arrest other members of the cult group. He said: “A team of operatives of anti-cultism unit of the Command on June 17, 2023, stormed a criminal hideout in Bomu Tia, in Tai LGA and arrested one Kenneth Nkpe, who is a member of Supreme Vikings confraternity, one portable English-made barrel pistol was recovered from him and upon interrogation he confessed that he bought the pistol, Ishmael Ali, a Filipino, that works with one fertilizer company and investigation has commenced on arresting other members of the cult group.”
  
He added that some operatives of the Rivers State Police Command attached to anti cultism unit on June 16, 2023, at about 23: 36 hours, while on patrol on Rukpokwu market, stopped a Toyota car with three occupants- Loveday Friday, 26, Ebere Alameziem, 51, Chibuzor Kingsley, 26, all residents of Igwuruta, Rivers State.
    
“On conducting a search of the said car, one locally-made pistol, some live cartridges and two expended cartridges and two masks were recovered from the suspects. The investigation is still in progress,” the police boss said.
    
Meanwhile, the suspected Vikings cult leader, Kingsley Nkpe, claimed that one of his fellow workers, who left scaffolding work and joined the Nigeria Army, called him to bring a gun, a Filipino, who was their foreman at a fertiliser company, gave to him.
 
“The gun does not have a bullet and the bullet is scarce, so, my friend said I should bring the gun to him and that he will help me find the bullet. When I got there, I called him but he was not reachable. I was caught on my way back to Bori,” he claimed.

However, the state Commissioner of Police urged residents to join in the fight of combating crime, saying curbing crime is a collective job.