Five suspected kidnappers have been apprehended by the Rivers State Police Command following a joint operation carried out in the Oyigbo Local Government Area.

Operatives attached to the Oyigbo Divisional Police Station carried out the arrests on the instruction of the state’s Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju.

This was made known in a press statement released on Thursday by the Command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe.

According to the statement, the suspects are 44-year-old Ezekiel Emmanuel, 51-year-old Chukwuma Mbanefor, 65-year-old Nicholas Diala, 49-year-old Ndubuisi Uwakwe, and 51-year-old Ifeanyi Nwankwo. 

Agabe stated that upon questioning, the suspects admitted to their roles in kidnapping and disclosed that they had taken part in multiple kidnap operations carried out within the Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.

She noted that the manhunt for the remaining members of the gang is still underway.

According to the Commissioner of Police, the successful operation is a direct outcome of the intelligence-driven policing approach and operational guidelines put in place by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu.

He restated the Command’s resolve to keep up forceful, intelligence-based operations targeting kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery, and other violent offences throughout Rivers State.

The Commissioner cautioned that, “there will be no safe haven for kidnappers or other criminal elements, as the Command will relentlessly pursue, arrest, and ensure they are brought to justice.”

He reassured residents that the Command remains firmly dedicated to safeguarding lives and property across the state.

He called on citizens to “remain vigilant and continue to provide credible and timely information that will assist the Police in preventing crime and apprehending criminal elements.”

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command says it has arrested two suspects including the manager of Mbiokporo cemetery for alleged exhumation of a freshly buried corpse and the theft of a casket. 

The Police Spokesperson in the State, DSP Timfon John who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Thursday said the incident happened on August 3, 2026, at about 11:30 p.m, following a distress call from a vigilant member.

She stated that the complainant disclosed that he noticed suspicious activities at the cemetery after observing two men transporting a casket on an unregistered motorcycle in the dark.

She said, “Acting on the suspicion, the complainant confronted the suspects to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the movement of the casket at such an unusual hour. In an attempt to evade arrest, one of the suspects, identified as Effiong Asuquo, fled the scene, while his accomplice, Nsikak Effiong, was apprehended and immediately handed over to the Police.

“During interrogation, Nsikak Effiong confessed that he and his accomplice had unlawfully exhumed a freshly buried corpse, removed the corpse from the casket, and stole the casket with the intention of selling it for financial gain.

“The Police recovered the empty casket as well as the unregistered motorcycle used in conveying the stolen property, while investigations were immediately expanded to uncover the full circumstances surrounding the crime and identify all persons connected to the act.

“Further investigation yielded another major breakthrough on 5th August, 2026, at about 5:00 p.m., with the arrest of one Elijah Matthew Edet, the Manager of Mbiokporo Cemetery. During interrogation, the suspect admitted to conspiring with the grave diggers in the commission of the offence and stated that it was his first involvement in such criminal activity.”

While noting that efforts are being intensified to apprehend  the fleeing suspects, the spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, has condemned the incident describing it as barbaric, sacrilegious, morally reprehensible, and a gross violation of the dignity of the dead, the sanctity of burial grounds, and the cultural and religious values of our society.

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 35-year-old suspect and recovered stolen roofing materials valued at N2.26 million following a theft incident in Azare, Katagum Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Nafiu Habib, in a statement said the arrest was made through intelligence-led policing and routine visibility patrols.

Habib said the case was reported on Tuesday by a 35-year-old shop owner from Gandunwambai, Azare, who discovered that unknown persons had broken into his shop along Kano Road using a master key and carted away 460 metres of Stonecut roofing sheets.

He said detectives from the Azare Police Division were immediately deployed to the scene and, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted the stolen materials along the Azare–Jama’are Road.

According to the police, one suspect, Muktari Rufa’i, 35, was arrested during the operation, while the recovered roofing sheets were valued at N2,260,000.

Habib said the suspect confessed during interrogation and allegedly identified one Evra Pizo, said to be from the same address, as his accomplice.

He added that the second suspect is currently on the run and efforts are ongoing to apprehend him.

The police spokesperson said the arrested suspect remained in custody at the Azare Division and that the matter would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Bauchi for further investigation and prosecution.

The Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, commended the Divisional Police Officer and officers of the Azare Division for their swift response, urging residents to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.