The Rivers State Police Command has arrested four soldiers and one NSCDC officer for their involvement in trailer hijacking and goods diversion.
The suspects, identified as West Isaac, Abdul Musa, Mgbe Geoffrey, Innocent Okwoli (soldiers), and Jabila Kammangar (NSCDC agent), were apprehended on May 25, 2024, following a tip-off from a reliable source.
Police investigations revealed that the suspects were part of a larger criminal syndicate specializing in armed robbery, hijacking, and goods diversion.
They had been terrorizing the Rivers State axis, hijacking trailers and diverting goods worth millions of naira.
“They had a network of informants who gave information about the itinerary of goods-bearing trailers. They would then dress in full military gear, lay in wait for the trailers, and accost them with a white Hilux van as they approached their location. They would then proceed to intimidate the drivers, beat them up and hand their keys to designated drivers who would then divert the trailers to waiting receivers,” said a source who pleaded anonymity while speaking with Vanguard.
The police recovered stolen POP cement goods and a white Toyota Hilux used in the gang’s operations.
The suspects confessed to hijacking a trailer loaded with fertilizer valued at N25 million belonging to Alhaji Sadiq Adams on February 17, 2024, and a 40-foot container filled with imported clothing from China in February.
The arrests were made possible through the combined efforts of the Rivers State Police Command and the Nigerian Army. The police had been tracking the suspects for weeks, gathering intelligence and monitoring their movements.
On the day of the arrest, police operatives led by SP Martins Ejeh swooped in on the suspects at their hideout in a forest along the East-West Road. The suspects were caught off guard and offered no resistance.
Rivers State Police Spokesperson SP Grace Iringe-Koko stated, “The gang was arrested following investigations into an alleged burglary that occurred at warehouses at Elimgbu belonging to one Mr. Emmanuel Nwangwu and a woman, Mrs. Ndifreke Ekanem. A distress call was made to the police by ONELGA Security Peace and Advisory Committee (OSPAC) around 11 p.m. relating to the incident and how five of the suspects were rescued from a lynching mob.”
Badly bruised from the mob attack, the suspects were eventually moved to the police hospital by the patrol team that was deployed after the distress call.
The investigation into what initially seemed like a burglary revealed a network of armed robbers within the country’s security agencies. These operatives would abandon their duty posts across different states to run a criminal empire in Rivers State.
Two of the apprehended burglars were Corporal Isaac West, who was deployed to Delta State, and NSCDC operative Jabila Kammangar, posted to Kabba in Kogi State. Both operatives confessed to detectives how they would abandon their duty posts to engage in criminal activities in Rivers State due to its lucrativeness.
West revealed that he had left his base at Warri with a sick pass but never returned. Further questioning uncovered that he, along with other Army personnel—Lance Corporal Abdul Musa, Lance Corporal Mgbe Jeoffrey, and Corporal Innocent Okwoli—led the gang responsible for multiple trailer hijackings.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, commended the police team for smashing the syndicate, emphasizing the command’s commitment to eradicating crime in the state.
He also highlighted the importance of community cooperation in the fight against crime.
The suspects are currently in police custody and will be charged to court soon.
The Rivers State Police Command has urged the public to continue providing timely information and support to law enforcement agencies to help curb criminal activities.
