The police in Rivers State, South-south Nigeria, have arrested a vigilante leader and three others for allegedly vandalising and dismantling a telecommunication mast for sale.

The police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringge-Koko, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, identified the suspect as Kingsely, also known as Obubochi, a vigilante leader, in Isiokpo in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.

Mrs Iringe-Koko, a police superintendent, said the three other suspects are also executive members of the vigilante group, Punch newspaper reported.

They were arrested on 26 March.

The arrest

The police spokesperson said executive members of the group – Mark Prince, Destiny Onuigbo, and Azubuike Orlu – took advantage of their unrestricted access to the group’s armoury to use it to perpetrate crime.

“The sequence of events leading to their arrest unfolded when a scrap dealer, known as Prince, approached Ododo (Obubochi), during a vigilante group member’s burial.

“Prince, presenting himself as a businessman from Omagwa, proposed a joint venture involving the dismantling and sale of a mast belonging to Globacom, located on a secluded road in Elele.”

Mr Ododo, the police spokesperson said, agreed to provide firepower and monitoring during the operation for a fee of N500,000 for Prince’s team carrying out the mast’s disassembling.

The suspect allegedly commenced disassembling the mast with Mr Ododo’s and his team providing cover for them.

They were, however, intercepted by a police patrol team as the operation progressed, leading to confrontation and arrest of the suspects, Mrs Iringe-Koko said, adding that two of the vandals escaped.

The police spokesperson listed items recovered from the suspects to include three automatic pump-action guns, one live cartridge, one plier, one machete, and two Qlink motorcycles without registration numbers.

Mrs Iringe-Koko said the state commissioner of police has expressed dismay over the involvement of the vigilante members in criminal activities.

The commissioner, the police spokesperson said, has reiterated the commitment of the command to arrest all the suspects involved in the crime irrespective of their affiliations and position within the law enforcement structures.

“The ongoing investigation aims to apprehend the remaining fugitive suspects involved in this criminal network,” he said.

The police urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station.