From Isaac Job, Uyo
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has reported the arrest of 54 suspects and the repulsion of a sea piracy attack along the state’s waterways in separate operations conducted between May and June 2025.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, disclosed this while briefing the media on major achievements by the command in Uyo, the state capital.
According to him, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at about 12:06 p.m., operatives of the Marine Police, while conducting search and rescue operations along the Oron-Calabar waterways, received a tip-off about an ongoing sea pirate attack.
He said the operatives swiftly mobilised to the scene and engaged the hoodlums in a gun battle. Upon sighting the Marine Police patrol boats, the pirates opened fire sporadically. The police returned fire, forcing the pirates, who sustained bullet wounds, to escape into a shallow creek.
The operatives stormed the creek and recovered the following items:
– One W23 speedboat fitted with a 200HP Yamaha engine gearbox
– One 15HP Yamaha engine
– Dismantled engine parts
– One dane gun
– One improvised toolbox
– One Emage petrol generator
– One OX standing fan
– One rubber container with materials suspected to be charms
– One white candle
– One black wallet containing one WAEC ID card and other items
Azare stated: “On 10th May, 2025, at about 1206hrs, operatives of the Marine Police, while conducting search and rescue operation along the Oron/Calabar waterways, received information from a reliable source about an ongoing sea pirate attack. Upon receiving the information, operatives of the marine division swiftly mobilised to the scene.
“On sighting the Marine Police patrol boats, the hoodlums opened fire sporadically. The police operatives returned fire, forcing the pirates, who sustained bullet wounds, to escape into a shallow creek.
“The police stormed the pirates’ camp, which was successfully raided, and the following items were recovered: a W23 speedboat fitted with a 200HP Yamaha engine gearbox, one 15HP Yamaha engine, dismantled engine parts, one dane gun, one improvised toolbox, and a host of others.”
During the period under review, the command also recorded other milestones, including the arrest of suspected cultists with recovery of firearms, the arrest of suspected armed robbers with recovery of firearms, and the arrest of a suspected burglary syndicate/cultists.
Additionally, the command foiled a pipeline vandalism attempt. Azare noted: “On the 9th of May, 2025, at about 05:05hrs, operatives of the command, responding to a distress call reporting the presence of a suspected pipeline vandal at Ikot Oboron, swiftly dispatched to the location, intercepted, and arrested one Ekwere Obiowo Ernest, a 36-year-old male, native of Ukam in Edemeya clan, in the act of vandalising oil pipelines.”
Items recovered from the pipeline vandal included:
– One Fireman FGP 088EG generator
– One filing iron
– Various types of spanners
– One Siemens Germany toolbox