The police also accused the three male suspects of abducting a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Rivers and orchestrating several armed robberies along the road.
Mr Mustapha Bala, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers, made disclosed this at a news conference in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
He stated that the arrests followed a recent crackdown on rising criminal activity on the road, which has become a hotspot for violent attacks on motorists.
“The suspects: Blessing Akpelu alias NTA, 28; Wisdom Amadi, 28; and Precious Ebee, 30, all natives of Egbeda in Emohua LGA, Rivers, are now in police custody.
“They operate by setting up illegal roadblocks to trap unsuspecting travellers on the Port Harcourt–Owerri Road, robbing them and holding them for ransom.
“The suspects were under police surveillance following an alarming rise in kidnappings, including the abduction of the NYSC member and two others along the Elele/Omerelu axis of the expressway,” he said.
Bala explained that Akpelu and Ebee was apprehended on Oct. 17, while the gang leader, Amadi, was arrested in Egbeda on Oct. 19.
He noted that the suspects had confessed to the crime and were assisting the police in tracking fleeing members of the gang.
“Officers are working to recover their operational weapons and uncover the full extent of their criminal network,” he added.
In a related development, Bala stated that police operatives had successfully conducted two coordinated raids on criminal hideouts at Elechi Beach and Nanka waterfronts Mile I area of Port Harcourt.
He said that the raid led to the arrest of a notorious criminal linked to several high-profile armed robberies in the state.
According to him, the C4i Strike Force Octopus team of the command recovered assorted arms and ammunitions during the operations.
“Items recovered from the Elechi Beach operation include an English made revolver pistol with 35 rounds of 8.1mm live ammunition and one Excam Hialeah pistol with two rounds of 9mm live ammunition.
“In Nanka, personnel recovered a blue Toyota Corolla with registration number BDG 44 HE, belonging to one Iviuboosub Okuru, who had been robbed at gunpoint along the Education Bus Stop,” Bala added.
The commissioner of police assured residents of the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property in the state. (NAN)
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