Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have foiled an armed robbery operation in Etche Local Government Area of the state and recovered arms and ammunition.
Spokesperson of the command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 said that operatives of the HAWK Tactical Team received a distress call that armed men were attacking passersby at Igbo Etche Junction and quickly swung into action.
“Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command, attached to the HAWK Tactical Team, received a distress call on the 15th of May, 2025, at about 1840 hours, reporting that a group of armed hoodlums—wielding firearms, cutlasses, and other dangerous weapons—had blocked the Igbo Etche Junction and were actively robbing unsuspecting members of the public of their personal belongings,” the statement read.
“Upon receiving the call, operatives of the HAWK Decoy Team swiftly mobilized and responded to the scene. On sighting the police, the hoodlums fled into the nearby bush, abandoning some of their operational items during a hot pursuit.
Following the chase, the team recovered the following items: two operational motorcycles, one black Opel Sum motorcycle (without registration number, one black Quilink motorcycle (without registration number), one firearm, one European high-quality Emerald 12-gauge pump-action rifle, ammunition, two live AAA cartridges and one expended AAA cartridge.
“The hoodlums escaped into the forest. However, the recovered items have been secured as exhibits.
“Investigation is currently ongoing. Efforts are being intensified to apprehend the fleeing members of the notorious robbery syndicate, recover additional operational weapons, and gather further intelligence on their activities. Further updates will be communicated.”
