Rivers State Police Command arrests 18 suspects and recovers 47 firearms in a major operational offensive against violent crime across the state over the last two months. State Commissioner of Police Olugbenga Adepoju disclosed the achievements during a press briefing at the command’s headquarters along Moscow Road in Port Harcourt on Thursday, August 13, 2026, while parading the suspects alongside recovered weapons and stolen items.
What were the key breakthroughs in the Rivers State Police crackdown?
During the briefing, Commissioner Adepoju outlined significant breakthroughs recorded between June and August 2026 as part of intelligence-led security initiatives aligned with Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu’s strategic directives. Among those paraded was a 49-year-old fake soldier, identified as Andrew Atausi, who was intercepted along the Ada George axis of Port Harcourt while dressed in full military uniform and driving a stolen Toyota Hilux painted in military colors. Additionally, operatives from the Violent Crime Response Unit apprehended three key members of a gang responsible for a fatal June 29 attack on police officers on stop-and-search duty in Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area, which resulted in the death of two officers and the theft of two service AK-47 rifles.
In total, tactical operations across various local government areas yielded 47 firearms, 12 stolen vehicles, over 100 rounds of live ammunition, five live cartridges, and 11 cutlasses. The paraded suspects face charges ranging from armed robbery, car snatching, and “one-chance” theft to kidnapping, cultism, and murder. Commissioner Adepoju commended the tactical units for their dedication and urged residents to continue supporting law enforcement with credible, timely information to sustain public safety across Port Harcourt and surrounding communities.
“The breakthrough demonstrates the Command’s resolve to ensure that those who attack police officers or engage in violent crimes have no hiding place in Rivers State.”
As investigations conclude, police authorities confirmed that all 18 suspects will be formally charged in court upon completion of profiling. Meanwhile, security observers have praised the command’s proactive measures in dismantling armed syndicates and retrieving illegal weapons from circulation. Will sustained tactical operations in Rivers State permanently disrupt inter-state criminal networks operating across the Niger Delta region?
