From Ben Dunno, Warri
For more than nine months now, activities of notorious gangs specialising burgling churches and warehouses in the twins cites of Warri, Effurun and environs have been sources of worry among security stakeholders in Delta State, particularly the police.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police in the flashpoint areas were under pressure to arrest the situation. From Ekpan to Eburumede Division in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government, from the A to B Divisional Police headquarters in Warri South and from Ovwian-Aladja in Udu to Agbarho and B Divisions in Ughelli North Council areas, the trend was the same. Police were inundated with reports of one church building or warehouses that had been burgled by these criminals.
Victims recounted similar experiences, in terms of modus operandi of these invaders and identified members of the same cartel who socialised in invading and looting churches equipment and goods. Faith Abode Assembly Bible Church, 3rd Marine Gate, Warri, had been raided twice. Its General Overseer, Dr. James Amachere, explained: “The first time they came was on Monday, November 13, 2023.
“They came at about midnight, scaled the fence from behind and met the security guards sleeping. They tied them up, opened the gate and drove in their pick-up vehicle, locked the gate after them. They looted everything they could carry, especially the musical gadgets. The smaller generators used as backup and furnitures they could not carry in the vehicle.
“Immediately I was alerted, I called some church officials and rushed to the place to take an inventory of property lost. But since we needed to prepare for both Christmas in December and the New Year Cross Over Service, we had to raise funds to replace some of these musical equipment and furniture.
“But we made sure that the case was reported at the B Division in Warri and the Area Command office. And of course, the police came to see the place and took statements from the guards and got all these documented with the assurance to fast track investigations and bring the culprits you justice and that was the last we heard of the matter”.
“We had similar experience again in April 2024. This time around, the gang infiltrated us as church members. Some of them got so close to the security guards. They took this approach because after the first experience we decided to raise our fence higher and had it wired all round, so jumping it would be difficult. So having gotten used to the security guards, they came in the evening and knocked under the pretext of stopping by to greet them and that was how they tied up the guards again and gained unhindered access second time”.
“Myself and other church Pastors in Warri, Effurun and Udu who have had same experiences, decided to petition Delta state Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, at the Command’s Headquarters, Asaba, under the umbrella body of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). We raised a high powered delegate to meet him and table our matter and the need for an urgent drastic solution to put an end to this ugly trend of attack on churches and he promised to look into it in due course”.
Disturbed by the field reports on the activities of these criminals, CP Abaniwonda, directed all the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and tactical unit Commanders as well as Vigilante groups in various communities where the ugly trend appears to be rampant and urged them to pay more attention to the crime with the utmost aim of bringing the perpetrators to book in order to serve as deterrent.
In a recent statement issued shortly after the parade of the suspects and items recovered in Ekpan last Friday, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Bright Edafe, disclosed that CP Abaniwonda’s, commitment in this regard paid off last month when he directed the award winning Ekpan Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Aliyu Shaba, to discreetly investigate a case of armed robbery that occurred on June 20, 2024, at the Western Delta University, Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government area.
According to the statement; “Following the armed robbery operations carried out by suspected armed robbers at the Western Delta University Oghara on June 20, 2024, the Commissioner of Police Delta State, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi directed that the case be transferred to the DPO Ekpan Division CSP Aliyu Shaba for a discreet investigation”.
“The DPO in compliance with the CP’s directive swiftly embarked on an intelligence-led operation and on June 24 2024, at about 1830hrs trailed the suspects to a hotel in Aziza Junction, Sapele Road and arrested one Okoro Udochukwu ‘m’ 36yrs of Ore II Community and one Sunday Dickson ‘m’ 32yrs of Ore II Community being members of the six-man gang terrorising Warri, Sapele, Oghara and other parts of Delta State and specializes in breaking of churches, companies and warehouses while armed with guns”.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that on May 26, 2024, they allegedly robbed a ware house in Warri and stole One hundred and twelve bags of rice and have sold some of them”.
“The suspects led the police to the arrest of Arinze Ezisi ‘m’ 44yrs of Okumaga community and one Titus Chinedu ‘m’ 47yrs of Okumaga community being the receivers of all the stolen properties diligent search was conducted at their stores/houses which led to the recovery of thirty-eight bags of rice, one silver crest blender, one inverter engine with two inverter batteries”.
Other items include; “three sharp photocopying machines and two sharp standing AC, five LG Homes-Theaters, one Hisense air conditioner, three inter com machine, one 50 inches black LG television , two shovels one black Hisense speaker, eight yards of armoured cable, six generators, five stabilisers three Kenstar A/C, two Hisense standing AC, three Hisense inverter AC, peculiar professional mixer”.
Also recovered were; “Three Kenstar standing AC one Panasonic AC, one pumping machine, five sound prinex , one Yamaha piano , five gas cylinders, twenty-one amplifiers, four guitars, four LG speakers, five microwave , two MP3, one OX standing fan, three chusion chairs, one large vita foam matrass, large quantity of copper”.
He note led that the they carry out these operations using two sienna vehicles and one shuttle bus which they use to carry the stolen item. Efforts are on to arrest other members of the gang, and recover their operational vehicle.
In a swift reaction to this breakthrough, Chairman, Warri Urban Security Network (WUSN), Chief Frank Onoriode, has applauded the Police for the efforts in tackling the menace of Churches and Warehouses burglars in the state, particularly in the Warri area and called for more sustenance efforts in ridding the state of violence crimes and other social vices.