It is game over for a 50-man gang of ex-militants in Rivers State known as Niger Delta Youth Movement, who re-organized themselves under the sponsorship of a woman politician referred to as Mrs. Okagwu, hoping to emerge as political thugs inh the upcoming general elections in 2015.
Their misfortune started with the arrest of one of their members, a 22-year-old King Asuo who was returning from where he went to repair his AK-47 rifle which was faulty.
According to The Sun, it was gathered from the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dan Bature, that the ex-militant turned political thug was arrested on a motorbike by some operatives of Abua Police Station, before the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) headed by Supol Tunji Disu, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) waded into the matter, confiscated the gun and took over investigation of the case.
During an interrogation session at the headquarters of SARS, Asuo who hails from Abua/Odula Local Government Area of Rivers State disclosed how he got the rifle which is used mainly by the police force although is widely available in secretive criminal cabals in the nation.
“I bought the AK47 rifle in Nembe community, Bayelsa State, where I live for the sum of N300,000 and I want to use it during the 2015 general election. I raised N50,000 and one Mrs Okagwu gave me N250,000 and I bought the rifle at N300,000. We are 50 in number in the creeks and we are being sponsored by Mrs Okagwu. All of us have the rifles. We belong to the organization called Niger Delta Youth Movement. It was started in 2013. We stayed at the creek and we have all bought AK47 Rifles to prepare for the 2015 general election,” he said
He added, “I was arrested on a motorbike when I went to repair the AK 47 Rifle. We are not using the rifle for armed robbery; we bought the rifles in preparation for the 2015 election.”
Meanwhile, Bature noted that the SARS operatives also arrested two suspected armed bandits said to include a 20-year-old Remmy Ovehor and 25-year old Moses Ochina.
Furthermore, he said that arms and ammunition including AK47 rifles, three loaded magazines, 309 cartridges, 7.53 mm ammunition and a locally made pistol were recovered from them at Atakatina community in Eze’s Hotel when they were planning to sell the guns and ammunition. Also, the suspects were alleged to be members of the De-gbemi cult group in Ahoada part of the State.
It was also noted that anti-Kidnapping Squad led by Supol Edward Shadare arrested two notorious kidnappers Emeka Iwuokioko, 35, and Godspower Njoku 27, on September 17, 2014, when they kidnapped one Donald Iwuagwu, a naturalized American citizen, along the road to Iguruta and kept him in an uncompleted building at Okomoko village. The duo also abducted two other victims, Nnamdi Akmuku and Linus Jubril Isyaku on their way from Port Harcourt International Airport and held all three in their hideout.
However, luck ran out of them when officials of AKS raided the scene on September 22, 2014 and rescued the three victims.
Although Bature gave an assurance that they would be charged to court after necessary investigations are made.
