Operatives of Edo State Police Command have apprehended six suspected criminals terrorising the state.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the arrest of the suspects followed the recent increased in intelligence gathering and tactical operations initiated in the command by CP Mohammed Dankwara, deployed to Edo State last month.
The Public Relations Officer for Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said the suspects were picked following covert intelligence that some cultists were about to launch attacks on Benin City.
Chidi stated this while briefing journalists at the state police command headquarters in Benin City on Friday, last week.
“On November 16, at about 16:00 hrs, an intelligence was received that some notorious criminal elements suspected to be cultists converged in somewhere at Uholor community.
“Also, on November 12, at about 1600hrs, we received it from a reliable source that some groups of armed robbers were terrorising Okpegha community in Aduwawa area, Benin City, Edo State.
“Upon the receipt of the information, operatives of the Command and Control Intelligence Rapid Response Squad (CIRRS) and Egba Divisional Police Officer, in collaboration with Edo State vigilante group swung into action and arrested the suspect with one cut-to-size gun and two live catriages recovered.
The police’s spokesman stated further that discreet investigations by operatives of the command led to more arrests of the suspects.
“After painstaking investigation on November 17, three other suspects were arrested in various location.
“The suspects confessed to have been notorious armed robbers who also specialised in house breaking and burglary and they have given police useful information that will lead to the arrest of others at large.”
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SP Nwabuzor disclosed that three notorious suspects were also arrested) as a locally-made pistol was recovered.
“The three suspects arrested confessed to be serial cult killers who had been on police wanted list and members of a notorious cult group known as Black Axe.
“The suspects have given police useful information that will lead to the arrest of others at large,” SP Nwabuzor added.
One of the suspects, Edafe Moses,19, from Ugheli North Local Government Area of Delta State, admitted membership of a cult group and the recovery of a cut-to size gun from him.