The Rivers State Police Command have arrested 13 individuals for robbery.
The suspects include four soldiers and an officer from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on charges of armed robbery and hijacking food trucks to divert them to other locations.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the police spokeswoman for the state, announced this in a statement on Monday.
She stated that the arrests followed a thorough investigation prompted by an initial arrest for suspected burglary at a private warehouse in Elimgbu community, Obio/Akpor LGA.
She revealed that two of the initial suspects were identified as a corporal in the Nigerian Army serving in Delta State and an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps serving in Kabba, Kogi State.
She mentioned that the arrested security agents admitted to abandoning their posts to engage in criminal activities in Rivers State.
Iringe-Koko said further investigations uncovered a larger criminal network involved in armed robbery, hijacking, and diverting goods.
She added that the gangs hijacked trailers carrying various goods, including fertilizers, imported clothing, and POP cement.
The police recovered stolen items and a white Toyota Hilux used in the gang’s operations, she said.
She also mentioned that the four soldiers involved were dismissed by the Nigerian Army and handed over to the police for prosecution.
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