Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have re-arrested three of the inmates who escaped from two correctional centres following an attack by hoodlums during the ENDSARS protests, for armed robbery.
The suspects, Osamuyi Omoregbe, Raymond Aimua and Omon Ayo, were among 34 suspects police paraded at the command headquarters on Friday, December 4, for armed robbery, kidnapping and cultism.
Briefing the media on its achievements in the fight against crimes in the state, the Police Commissioner, Johnson Kokumon said the three escapees would be charged for escaping detention as well as the fresh crime committed.
The CP disclosed that some of the escapees now pretend to be taxi drivers and dispossess passengers of belongings in the process of conveying them to their destinations.
Kokumon assured that the police will not rest until all the about 2,000 inmates who escaped from the custodian centres are arrested and arm and ammunition carted away are recovered.
Kokumo further disclosed that the suspects paraded include 20 armed robbery and four kidnap suspects.
He said others include seven suspects for alleged cultism and three suspects for escaping from lawful custody.
The commissioner disclosed that exhibits recovered from the suspects include AK-47 rifle with breach No. 5571, one English revolver pistol, nine locally made pistols, three live cartridges, two expended cartridges, one battle-axe, and four vehicles.
“We also recovered 19 exotic phones, one police belt, one pair of police Inspector insignia and one Army Camouflage cap. One POS Terminal, Sim cards of different Network, one red Daylong motorcycle with Reg. No. UBJ-325-VS, a cash sum of N8,790, assorted sim cards of different Network, and assorted ATM cards of different banks were also recovered,” he said.
“As we approach the Yuletide season, the police will not rest on its oars until all the arms and ammunition carted away by the hoodlums, aftermath of EndSARS protest, are recovered and escapees from Benin and Oko Custodial Centres rearrested. The criminal elements resident in the Edo will not know peace while those planning incursion from contiguous states are warned to steer clear as the police command is fully prepared to wage war against them,” he added.
He noted that the command had continued to discharge its constitutional responsibilities aimed at protecting lives and property by striving to prevent crime and criminality.
“However, there have been reported cases of kidnapping and inter-cult rivalry clashes in the state; they are being painstakingly looked into with a view to sniffing out the perpetrators wherever they hibernate.”
