Six Youths Arrested For Illegal Possession Of Firearms In Rivers Were On Community Assignment, Says Monarch

THE ARRESTED SUSPECTS

A new twist has been introduced to the case of six suspects arrested last week by the Joint Task Force, JTF, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State for illegal possession of fire arms. The suspects, who were arrested with seven AK-47 rifles, 164 rounds of ammunition and six locally made canon launchers around Ekporo road, near Eleme, on their way to Ogu, in Ogu/Bolo local government area of the state, were subsequently handed over to the Police.

But the community has said the youths were on an errand to recover the arms when they were arrested.
According to the Amayanabo of Ogu, King Nicholas Biobele, following a tip-off that a neighbouring community was allegedly planning to invade their own, the youths were mobilized to go in search of the arms being amassed and retrieve same.
He said those arrested were members of the community vigilante, who recovered the arms that would have been used in the attack by the neighbouring community.
He said they recovered the rifles but were arrested on their way back by the JTF, stressing that those linking Senator George Sekibo and a member of the state House of Assembly from the area, Evans Bipi, to the issue were being unfair. He decried the attempt to give the matter a political coloration.