From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Police Command on Thursday night foiled an armed robbery operation on Prisigbara/Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic Road in Khana Local Government Area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police (SP), while confirming the incident in a statement on Friday, said, in a coordinated effort, officers from the Police Division, Bori, and the Anti-Cultism Unit, Bori, were dispatched to the scene following a distress call.
She stated that the robbers engaged the policemen in a gunfight, but said the gunmen were subdued, and the robbery operation was successfully thwarted.
Iringe-Koko revealed that tragically, during the exchange, three of the suspects sustained injuries and were immediately rushed to the Police Clinic in Bori, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival. The PPRO stated that among the deceased identified, was Monday Sulole, popularly known as “Oyoyo”, a notorious armed robber and cultist.
Sulole, 25, who hailed from Yeghe in Gokana Local Government Area, was alleged to be responsible for numerous cult clashes and armed robberies in the Ogoni axis of Rivers State.
She said the police recovered several items from the robbers, including one locally made revolver pistol with three live ammunition, one locally-made shotgun with three cartridges, a machete, and several charms.