Police arrest suspected armed robber, recover locally made firearm

The Nigeria Police Force in Akwa Ibom State says it has arrested a suspected armed robber and recovered a locally fabricated firearm during an operation in Uyo, the state capital.

Police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Uyo.

Ms John, a deputy superintendent of police, said the arrest followed a distress call received at about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday from a resident of Ikot Okubo Village in Uyo Local Government Area, who reported that suspected armed robbers were operating in the community.

The police said operatives on stop-and-search duty along the Mayflower axis of Oron Road responded immediately to the alert.

Upon arriving at the scene, the officers teamed up with the community youths to cordon off and comb the area, leading to the arrest of the suspect, identified as Edidiong Udoeyen.

The police said a medium-sized locally fabricated firearm was recovered from the suspect.

Other members of the suspected gang fled on sighting the police, the statement said, adding that a manhunt had been launched to apprehend the fleeing suspects.

“The arrested suspect is currently in police custody and will be subjected to a thorough investigation to establish his level of involvement in the alleged criminal activities, as well as identify and dismantle the criminal network,” Ms John said.

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The statement said the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, Baba Azare commended members of the community for providing timely information that aided the operation.

According to the statement, the police commissioner urged members of the public to continue providing credible and timely information to the police, assuring them that such information would be treated confidentially.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the police in Akwa Ibom arrested three armed robbery suspects in Uyo early this month.