The Eastern Ports Police Command Headquarters, has paraded five (5) suspects for vandalizing Port facilities at the Rivers Port, PortHarcourt, Rivers State.
Speaking on the achievements of the Command in the last two (2) weeks at a press briefing, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Eastern Ports Police Command Headquarters, PortHarcourt, Rivers State, said it was their determination to remove all criminal elements completely from the Eastern Ports.
The CP further spoke on the need to secure the entire jurisdiction, which comprised of: Rivers, Onne, Calabar and Warri Ports for smooth Port operations and business activities to go on hitch free.
He disclosed that a new varied and modified crime prevention and control strategies have been adopted in the Command, to ensure that crimes and criminalities in the Eastern Ports are nip in the bud.
The police commissioner opined that discreet and diligent crime detection investigation and technique are put in place, to ensure that those crimes and criminalities that may occur were properly detected.
CP Moshood in the meantime, affirmed that the machinery already put in place, that perpetrators are promptly arrested, investigated and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to who would be criminals and bring them to justice.
According to the CP: “During my last press briefing, precisely on the 9th October, 2024 I did promised members of the press, NPA Management, the critical stakeholders, and investors at the ports of a safe and secured environment for marine commercial activities to continue to thrive unhindered, throughout the Eastern Ports.
“These are being achieved through the implementation of a coordinated and sustained intelligent gathering, surveillance and observation patrols, vigorous patrols of the NPA water front by the Marine Police teams, sustain and continuous raids of criminal hideouts, both on land in the ports and terminals, and water ways throughout the jurisdiction of the Eastern Ports.
“These new crime prevention, control and detection strategic measures are already yielding positive results, culminating in the successful crack down, ambush and arrest of vicious and notorious vandals of iron steel under the quay apron of the berths facilities of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Rivers Ports, PortHarcourt.
“Before going into the breakdown and the parade of achievements, permit me to gratefully express deep appreciation, once again to the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantosho and his management team, for the immense logistics support and other valuable assistances being rendered to the Eastern Ports Police Command, which has made our job much more easier in the fight against crime and criminalities in the AOR, thereby bringing the rate of crime to the bearest level.
“I will not also not forget to specifically thank the Port Manager, Rivers Port, Mrs. Kenechi C. Okezie and the other (3) Ports Managers in Onne, Calabar and Warri, for their timely assistance and intervention every time we call on them.
“Lastly, it is also pertinent to appreciate public spirited individuals, ports critical stakeholders, the host communities and other members of the public, whose timely information led to these success stories,” CP stated.
On the arrest of vicious and notorious suspected vandals according to CP Moshood, five (5) suspects which include: Yiibari James, aged 32 years; Price Odudu, aged 18 years; Ernest Jack, aged 20 years; Ubong Brown, aged 20 years and Odinaka Vincent Nwocha, aged 29 years were arrested by Marine Police attached to Rivers Ports Police when they intercepted on hand pulling wooden canoe with three (3) occupants onboard.
He said that two (2) out of the three (3) suspects jumped out of the wooden canoe into the water and escaped, while one among them identified as Yiibari James (male) was arrested.
The Command CP explained that the patrol team impounded the wooden canoe and 3 pieces of long irons found inside the canoe were taking as exhibits.
CP Moshood further disclosed that two wooden canoes, two gas cylinders with hose and come along jack, one wooden canoe and thick heavy iron and one wooden canoe and pieces of scrap iron, were recovered in the void attempt to commit vandalism on Port facilities by the suspects.
While assuring of the Command readiness to providing a safe environment for NPA management and staff, Port facilities, Port users and other critical stakeholders to carry out their day to day businesses and other activities peaceful, thanked officers and men of his Command for their unwavering dedication, commitment and diligence to duty.
Responding in an interview, one of the suspects, Odinaka Vincent Nwocha, aged 29 years, admitted to have received the sum of N50,000:00 from one Mr. James, which he used for the refilling of his welding cylinder and other welding accessories to carry out the job, told him when he (James) visit his shop at Mile 3, that the Marine Police were aware of the job that they were going to carry out at the port.
Nwocha, who said he is a welder opined that he was shocked when James and one other person at large sighted the Marine Police and jumped out of the canoe into the water and left him behind.
He maintained that the N50,000: 00 transfered to him by James was an advance payment for the job and has never been to the port before.
