Slain Rivers DPO: Police arrest another gang member

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a member of the dreaded cult gang who captured and killed the Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada, Bako Angbashim, in Odumude community, Ahoada West Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement sent to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Iringe-Koko said the arrest followed credible information that the suspect was about been lynched by a mob in Edoaha community, Ahoada East LGA.

She said operatives immediately raced to the scene where the assailants had already put a tyre around the suspect’s neck to set him ablaze, but was rescued, moved to a police station and later to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence unit of the command.

The state police image maker further said that the suspect was already giving useful information that will lead to the arrest of the fleeing members, especially the gang leader, David Okpara.

The statement reads, “The Rivers State Police operatives on Monday, 25/09/2023 at about 19:43hrs, acting on actionable information received that in Edoaha community in Ahoada East, one of the suspects who brutally killed SP Bako Angbashim was about to be lynched by an angry mob.

“Subsequently, a team of policemen swung into action to rescue the suspect who was about to be burnt with a tyre on his neck. He was rescued and brought to the station where he made a useful statement.

“He was later transferred to SCID for discreet investigation with a view to apprehend the fleeing kingpin, his gang members, and to recover their operational weapons.”

Meanwhile, a viral video showing the arrested unidentified gang member has surfaced on Tuesday.

In the video seen by our correspondent, the suspect was sitting on the ground with a tyre around his waist and being interrogated by armed policemen,

He confessed that Angbashim was killed by his group led by Gift Okpara, but denied knowledge of the whereabouts of the late DPO.

From the video, the suspect replied the policemen, “I won’t lie to you sir, when they killed the DPO, I was not among.”

Recall that the police had earlier announced arrest of some gang members, even as the Rivers State Governor, Siminilayi Fubara, placed a N100m bounty on the cult leader in the wake of the DPO’s murder by the gang.