Rescue two children, nine vehicles

Operatives of Rivers State Police Command have arrested a man, identified as Adamu Siraju, who was brandishing a rifle in Army uniform, on February 1, 2022, at a hotel in the Rumuigbo, Obio-Akpor area of Rivers State.

  
Parading the suspect alongside over 14 other suspects at the Police headquarters in Port Harcourt at the weekend, the State Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka, noted that upon reception of information about the fake military man in the hotel, his men swung into action, nabbed the fake soldier, and recovered the rifle in his possession.
  
He said: “On the 1st of this month, we had information that a man in military uniform was brandishing a G3 rifle in a hotel at Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt. We moved swiftly to the place and the man was arrested and the G3 rifle was recovered from him.
  
“The man confessed that he is not a military man and that one of his friends gave him the military uniform. The man has nothing to do with the military and the case would soon be concluded and charged to court.”
  
Also, in an interview with The Guardian,  the man said he was contracted by a pastor to stage as military personnel to recover debt from fraudsters (Yahoo boys).
   
He said: “One pastor known as Pastor Ifeanyi Ezekiel, called me and told me that he did a business with some Yahoo boys who were supposed to give him 40 per cent from the deal. So, he said I should disguise myself as a soldier to escort him and collect the money and he would give me the sum of N500,000.00.
 
“So, I left Boricamp barracks and met him at Nkpolu junction and he said the deal was in the night at G-throne hotel, I borrowed the rifle from a civil defenceman, I met him and explained what I wanted to use it for and he gave it to me.
  
“I am not a military man but a son of a late Major General by name Abdulahi Siraju. I am a barrack boy and I saw the uniform in a room I occupied after the former occupant probably left to serve in Maiduguri.  I saw the uniform as a leftover inside a bag, and the name tag is my name, which was given to me as a helper in the barrack.”
 
Meanwhile, the CP said they have rescued two children in the state and arrested three members of the child kidnapping syndicate.
 
The rescued children, aged four and 12 were abducted from their mother’s shop on September 25, 2020, but were rescued by operatives following a covert operation on June 2021 and February 23, 2022, respectively.
 
Ebuka noted that the arrested suspects, identified as Favour Ajuzie, 30, Chioma Chibuike, 43 and Comfort Abatuo 56, were currently under investigation and would be charged to court immediately, adding that the police were on the trail of other fleeing members of the syndicate.
 
He said: “You could recall that there had been a story on social media, that five kids were kidnapped by a woman, who pretended to be a lesson teacher. 
 
“In the course of investigating that matter, we were able to burst a syndicate that is involved in kidnapping of several little children.

“Recall that on September 25, 2020, two little children were stolen from their mother in her shop, the children are Favour Boniface and Miracle Boniface, and two days ago, on February 23, 2022, we were able to rescue that little girl and arrested three suspects in connection with that matter.
 
“Favour Ajuzie, 30 stole the baby in conjunction with Chioma Chibuike, 43 and sold the baby to Comfort Abatuo, 56 and that child had been living with that woman since, until the child was rescued.”
  
The police boss further stated that the command had within  January and February arrested 11 suspected kidnappers, eight suspected armed robbers; three suspected child traffickers and recovered four arms, four locally-made guns, ten cartridges, two magazines, 44 ammunition and nine vehicles.