The Rivers State Police Command has taken into custody a serving officer and a university student over alleged involvement in cult-related activities that nearly disrupted a campus event in Port Harcourt.
The duo, identified as Corporal Onwukwe Godswill of Elimgbu Division and a 200-level Biomedical Technology student, Ifeanyi Israel, were arrested during a signing-out ceremony for final-year students at the University of Port Harcourt.
Police said the suspects were preparing for a violent clash with rival cult groups before they were intercepted.
Confirming the development in a statement on Friday, Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, revealed that operatives moved in swiftly following intelligence from the institution’s security unit.
“Both suspects were apprehended before they could execute their plans. Weapons, including pistols, live ammunition, and axes, were found in their possession,” Iringe-Koko stated.
She further disclosed that a follow-up search on the officer’s residence led to the recovery of an additional locally-made firearm and two machetes.
According to her, investigations are ongoing to unravel the extent of their involvement and whether other accomplices were part of the plot.
The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olugbenga Adepoju, while reacting to the arrests, assured residents that the command will continue to clamp down on cultism and violent crimes across the state.
“There will be no hiding place for anyone who chooses to terrorise our communities. We urge members of the public to provide timely information so that we can respond decisively,” Adepoju warned.
The latest arrests come barely a week after the command picked up a security guard identified as Godday for allegedly abducting and assaulting a 14-year-old girl at the Mothercat axis of Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt.
The Rivers Police Command maintains that both incidents reflect its intensified crackdown on cult violence and sexual crimes in the state as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard lives and property.