…As Concerned Indigenes Call For Sustenance Of Action
Between July 6 and 13, 2020, there had been regular patrol by the police on suspected criminal hideouts in the Ogoni axis of Rivers State.
In one of such operations, a combined team of the law enforcement agents stormed Nwebiara Community in Gokana Local Government Area, said to be the hometown of a notorious cultist and kidnapper popularly called Bobosky, who engaged the police in extensive gun battle but narrowly escaped into safety.
It was gathered that the operation at Nwebiara was a mere coincidence, as the police got there after dislodging a robbery incident at Akpajo Community in Eleme Local Government Area from where the police was told that the gangsters had retreated to a base at Nwebiara community.
As divergent information spread among residents on the incident in the four Ogoni LGAs namely Gokana, Khana, Eleme and Tai, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in-charge of Bori Division, Bako Amgbashim, a Superintendent of Police (SP) gave a brief on the situation.
He said he acted on distress calls from transporters and the commuters, and instantly led his team and other officers to the robbery scene at Akpajo at about 7am on July 6 to chase the heavily armed bandits away after they had unfortunately robbed their first set of victims in a bus that carried mostly suspected women traders.
Mr. Amgbashim added that a trace of the fleeing robbers based on credible sources, took the police to Nwebiara where the gun battle ensued between the police and Bobosky who was dressed in full military uniform.
Although Bobosky and his cohorts succumbed to the police incursion and narrowly escaped arrest, their camp at Nwebiara, which police said, harboured upward of 300 criminals, was burnt down, but denied burning down or destroying any public or probated building at Bodo City or elsewhere.
According to the DPO, the recent police operations went across notorious points from Kpopie to Yeghe on the highway, Nwebiara-Barako-Yeghe road, as well as Bodo, Kpor, Mogho, Bera, Bomu, Lewe, Nweol and other communities which now enjoy relative peace.
He condemned the recent kidnap of a young man at Bodo about three weeks ago by Bobosky and one Johnny (from Bodo) who had just released the victim after collecting over Seven Million Naira (N7, 000,000.00) ransom, assuring that the police was on top of the situations in the area and will sustain the effort.
The Bori DPO thanked his Gokana counterpart and other security agencies for their support that led to successful operations and current peace enjoyed in the area.
Impressed by the police run against criminal elements, some Ogonis under the auspices of Concerned Residents have applauded the police command in the state following support given to the police in Bori, under Superintendent Bako Angbashim and his counterparts in the area, and called for improved government and private support to them.
In a document signed by Elder AgimLekara and Fabian Ozii as chairman and secretary respectively, the organization believe that with prayers and support, the police will do better, noting that the over eight Awards received so far by the Bori DPO in less than his one year on seat in Ogoni testifies to his credibility and activeness on duty.
The Ogoni residents, however, called on cultists and other criminals to abandon their nefarious activities and join hands to move the place forward.
