RismadarVoice Reporters
January 6, 2026
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested twelve suspects in connection with a violent attack on an estate in Mbodo, Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.
The incident, which occurred on Monday afternoon, reportedly involved armed assailants said to be members of a local vigilante group known as OSPAC and hired thugs, who invaded the estate in a commando-style operation.
According to the police, the attackers fired shots indiscriminately, damaged vehicles and parts of the estate, and abducted a resident during the operation.
The spokesperson of the command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
She said operatives swiftly responded to a distress call, arrested several suspects, rescued the abducted victim, and recovered various exhibits, including an automatic pump-action gun.
Iringe-Koko said preliminary investigations revealed that the assailants were drawn from different communities in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and were armed with pump-action guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
“The attack resulted in the destruction of parts of the estate and damage to vehicles. One resident, Apostle Stephen Nmacha, sustained a gunshot injury to the leg and was abducted by the attackers,” she said.
She added that other residents sustained varying degrees of injuries and fled into nearby bushes for safety.
The police said operatives from the Choba Division, reinforced by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Octopus Tactical Teams, mobilized to the scene, rescued the abducted victim and rushed him to a medical facility for treatment.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects include one automatic pump-action gun, one live cartridge, several expended cartridges, assorted charms, five motorcycles, two mini-buses and a Siena vehicle.
The police also disclosed that two suspected coordinators of the attack, Patrick Akandu and Omakwelem Onu Ihunwo Prince, as well as the Akpor OSPAC Commander, identified as Azubuike, also known as “Ocean,” are currently at large.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olugbenga Adepoju, condemned what he described as the reckless and reprehensible actions of the suspects.
Adepoju warned that vigilante groups must operate strictly under police supervision, within the confines of the law.
“Under my watch, the police will not tolerate any individual or group, under any guise, disrupt the peace and security of the state,” he said.
The police boss assured residents of safety, said efforts were ongoing to apprehend all fleeing suspects and bring them to justice.
He also urged members of the public with useful information to assist the police by reporting to the nearest station.
