Gunmen who killed three Police officers on patrol have been arrested by the operatives of Delta State Police Command, Asaba.
The slain officers were identified as Inspector Monday Orowhigoh, Inspector Festus Obey and a yet-to-be-identified mobile policeman attached to the Dragon Patrol Team.
Police sources said, the officers were gunned down on Sunday by the criminals numbering six and the patrol van which the deceased were driving, set ablaze during a stop-and-search duty along the Ughelli/Asaba Road by IDU Roundabout, Oleh, headquarters of the Isoko South Local Government Area of the state.
Gunmen reportedly carted away the service rifles of the slain police officers.
In a statement issued and made available to journalists on Monday, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe confirmed the arrest of the gang members and further disclosed that three AK-47 rifles and one assault rifle were recovered.
The statement said: “In response to the attack on police operatives attached to Dragon Patrol team on 23/7/2023, at about 1140hours while on a stop-and-search duty at Oleh roundabout by suspected bandits, who shot and killed two operatives and set the patrol vehicle ablaze, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, CP Wale Abass, detailed a combined team of policemen attached to Ozoro Area command, Dragon patrol to go after the attackers.
“With the support of troops from the Nigerian Army, 63 Brigade and members of the local vigilante the men swung into action.
“During the operation, the combined team engaged the hoodlums in a serious gun duel, subdued the hoodlums who fled into the bush having been inflicted gunshot injuries. The team traced their blood to a river where one AK-47 rifle was recovered on the same date of the incident.
“The response team sustained the tempo and continued the operation on 24/7/2023. Acting on credible intelligence, they stormed Erewa community bush in Isoko North LGA, where they engaged the remnant of the bandits in serious gun duel, neutralized one of them, arrested two others, recovered two more AK-47 rifles, one Assault rifle, four magazines and twelve 7.62 AK-47 ammunition.”
“Effort is still on to track down other members of the syndicate. The Commissioner of Police Delta State, CP Wale Abass psc assures residents that the Command will not relent in the fight against crime and criminality while counting on the support from well-meaning Deltans in ensuring that the State is safe for all.”
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters reliably gathered that one of the suspects confessed that he was from Enugu State but resident in Ughelli town in the state.
