Operatives of the Rivers state police command have arrested a man in the Omoku council headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s policemen, who identified the suspect as Felix Nwaobokata, said that he was the immediate past commander of the local vigilante group, popularly known as ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee (OSPAC).
Spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Wednesday.
She said that Nwaobokata was arrested alongside three others following accusations of abducting a member of the Hausa community in Omoku.
Grace said that the arrest was part of a clampdown on the excesses of OSPAC in Omoku and other parts of the state.
The statement reads: “The Rivers State Police Command has commenced a clampdown on the excesses of vigilante groups operating within the state.
“This follows numerous complaints about the operations of the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee in different parts of the State, predominantly in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, as well as clashes with other Security Agencies by this Vigilante Group.
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“On May 9, 2024, Alhaji Usman Seleh, the Chairman of the Hausa Indigenous Group in ONELGA, reported that OSPAC had abducted a member of his group. He proceeded to report the matter to the police. Consequently, the police invited the ONELGA OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwaobakata, who refused to honour several invitations.
“Instead, the OSPAC outfit coordinated an attack on the police division in Omoku but the attack was thwarted as the police repelled them.
“Following this development, Tactical Units of the command stormed the ONELGA OSPAC Camp at Omoku and arrested Cheta Benjamin, Joshua Ekwosa, Innocent Ahiakwu, and four others.
“The ONELGA OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwaobakata, was subsequently arrested in his hideout in Omoku on June 17, 2024 where two human skulls and human bones were found in his possession.
“The arrested OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwaobakata, is also a principal suspect in the murder of two brothers, Collins Ugorji (32) and Newman Ugorji (39), of the Idu Community in ONELGA.”
