At least six hunters alleged to be fake and at the same time claiming to be vigilantes, have been arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Police attached to Ekpan Police Station in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.
The suspects were nabbed on Thursday along Jakpa Road in a Toyota Sienna space bus, ash in colour without a registration number.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta Police Command, DSP Bright Edafe, in a statement on Saturday, said the hoodlums were intercepted late Thursday night.
According to him, “Policemen on suspicion subjected them to a search during which three (03) pump action guns, four (04) locally made guns, one (01) long axe, seven (07) expended cartridges, nine (09) live cartridges, native charms, three (03) cutlasses, two (02) number plates were recovered.”
He said the suspects, Aaron Okorigwe, aged 27yrs and five others, could not give a reasonable account of themselves and were taken into custody.
“Investigation later revealed that they were hoodlums who operates under the guise of being members of a hunters group from Ovwian Aladja, but sneak into Ekpan Community in a Sienna vehicle, rob and kidnap unsuspecting, after robbing them, they run to hibernate in Ovwian Aladja.
“Following these findings, on 16th December, 2022, the DPO invited three victims (names withheld), all of whom were at various times victims of armed robberies, and kidnappings in the area, and placed the suspects on an identification parade, the victims identified the suspects as the syndicate that robbed and kidnapped them,” he claimed.
Investigation was ongoing on the matter, says Edafe.