Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested a man posing as a fully uniformed Police Inspector and three dismissed soldiers, all allegedly involved in notorious armed robbery gangs operating within and outside Rivers State.
Among those apprehended is John Lucas, who led a gang specialising in recruiting criminals for hire. Lucas, implicated in multiple highway robberies, was involved in diverting 56 Skyrun refrigerators in Akwa Ibom State.
Recovered from him were improvised explosive devices (IEDs), military uniforms, five stolen refrigerators, and a Black Highlander vehicle used in the murder of Chief Ndidi Livingstone, the Community Development Council Chairman of Mgbuoshimini, on January 13, 2024, in front of Peculiar Faith Ministries, Rumueme, Obio-Akpor LGA.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, disclosed this during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, where the suspects were paraded alongside a cache of arms and other exhibits recovered during their arrest.
Disu revealed that Lucas, a 34-year-old dismissed Lance Corporal from Logoro LGA, Bauchi State, was expelled from the Nigerian Army in 2014 for desertion.
After serving a prison sentence for drug trafficking, Lucas returned to crime, leading an armed gang involved in high-profile robberies and assassinations.
Disu explained that Lucas recruited other dismissed soldiers, including 48-year-old Adebayo Adebayo from Ekiti State, dismissed from the Army in 2019.
Adebayo was part of the group involved in the assassination of Chief Livingstone, captured in a viral video that showed the gang dragging the victim out of his church and shooting him multiple times in front of his family and congregation.
The police commissioner recalled the nationwide manhunt launched for the killers, which led to the arrest of Peter “Daddy” Chukwu, the mastermind of the assassination, in Ibusa, Delta State. Chukwu was killed in a shootout during his arrest.
Also arrested was 29-year-old Chimezie Adiele from Abia State, another dismissed Lance Corporal recruited by Lucas for the robbery of 56 Skyrun refrigerators. Adiele’s share of the loot included four refrigerators.
The suspects led police operatives to one of their camps in Aluu Village, where a firefight with gang members ensued.
The police overpowered the assailants, and the injured suspects were taken to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), where they were pronounced dead.
Recovered from the suspects were two AK-47 rifles, one assault rifle, two submachine guns (SMGs), one shotgun, ten magazines, 150 rounds of live ammunition, and a pistol.
Disu assured the public that the arrested suspects would be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of Chukwu’s criminal network.
In a related development, on August 9, 2024, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Rivers State Police Command arrested 31-year-old Fred Monday, fully dressed in police camouflage and posing as an Inspector.
Monday, from Wiyakara Community in Khana LGA, was armed with an AK-47 rifle, ten magazines, and 29 rounds of live ammunition at the time of his arrest.
During interrogation, the fake police officer confessed to purchasing the rifle for NGN 850,000 in 2021 from a known accomplice to armed robbers.
He also admitted to being a member of the Iceland cult group, using his police disguise to carry out numerous armed robberies and escort criminal gangs across states such as Akwa Ibom, Edo, Delta, and Rivers.
Exhibits recovered from Monday include one AK-47 rifle, ten magazines, and 29 rounds of live ammunition.
The investigation is ongoing as police work to apprehend other members of his gang.
