Police Begin Search For Stolen AK47 Rifles In Rivers

The Rivers State Police Command has begun search for eight AK47
rifles stolen by gunmen who killed seven of its operatives at the
weekend.

A situation report showed that the rifles were snatched during
the attacks by the gunmen on two police checkpoints and two
divisional headquarters.

At the C4I checkpoint in Choba where the gunmen killed an
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and an Inspector, two
rifles were snatched and a patrol van set ablaze.

At another checkpoint in front of Rumuji Divisional Headquarters
where the armed men beheaded another ASP and an Inspector, the
police lost two AK47 rifles. A special constable was said to have
escaped with a bullet that hit his chest at the Rumuji
checkpoint.

The gunmen stole four AK47 rifles when they attacked the Elimgbu
Division and killed two ASPs and an Inspector.

It was gathered that Commissioner of Police Eboka Friday,
deployed a special tactical team to locate the hideouts of the
gunmen and retrieve the rifles.

The team was said to be combing the waterfronts and bushes
surrounding Port Harcourt, the state capital and its boundary
communities for the gunmen.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed
the search for the rifles and the attackers, said: “The command is
relatively calm. The public is hereby enjoined to increase their
security consciousness and report any person or persons with gun
wounds to the nearest police station.”

Residents of the state have however raised concerns over the
rising number of illegal arms in the hands of criminals.

Some of them recalled that after the attacks on security
formations and killing of nine security operatives in Oyigbo Local
Government , over 50 AK47 rifles were reported missing.

“We are scared. We don’t know what will happen after this
ongoing stockpiling of arms by these people. Security agencies
especially the police should activate their intelligence
departments and conduct operations to retrieve these arms”, a
resident, who identified himself simply as Emmanuel, said.

The Rivers State Police Command has begun search for eight AK47
rifles stolen by gunmen who killed seven of its operatives at the
weekend.

A situation report showed that the rifles were snatched during
the attacks by the gunmen on two police checkpoints and two
divisional headquarters.

At the C4I checkpoint in Choba where the gunmen killed an
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and an Inspector, two
rifles were snatched and a patrol van set ablaze.

At another checkpoint in front of Rumuji Divisional Headquarters
where the armed men beheaded another ASP and an Inspector, the
police lost two AK47 rifles. A special constable was said to have
escaped with a bullet that hit his chest at the Rumuji
checkpoint.

The gunmen stole four AK47 rifles when they attacked the Elimgbu
Division and killed two ASPs and an Inspector.

It was gathered that Commissioner of Police Eboka Friday,
deployed a special tactical team to locate the hideouts of the
gunmen and retrieve the rifles.

The team was said to be combing the waterfronts and bushes
surrounding Port Harcourt, the state capital and its boundary
communities for the gunmen.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed
the search for the rifles and the attackers, said: “The command is
relatively calm. The public is hereby enjoined to increase their
security consciousness and report any person or persons with gun
wounds to the nearest police station.”

Residents of the state have however raised concerns over the
rising number of illegal arms in the hands of criminals.

Some of them recalled that after the attacks on security
formations and killing of nine security operatives in Oyigbo Local
Government , over 50 AK47 rifles were reported missing.

“We are scared. We don’t know what will happen after this
ongoing stockpiling of arms by these people. Security agencies
especially the police should activate their intelligence
departments and conduct operations to retrieve these arms”, a
resident, who identified himself simply as Emmanuel, said.