Soldiers have recovered arms and ammunition from alleged members of the Liberation Movement of Urhobo People, LIMUP, a militant group formed by suspected Delta State kidnap kingpin, Kelvin Oniarah, who is presently in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, after a gun battle in Kokori, Ethiope-East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Acting on a tip-off, the soldiers reportedly made the recovery after the gunfight in one of the kidnap kingpin’s men’s hideouts, an uncompleted building in Kokori. Three suspects, including a classmate of Kelvin, were said to have been arrested and are undergoing interrogation in connection with the arms.
In a related development, some suspected LIMUP members, on Tuesday, abducted a Kokori leader, identified as Chief Fred Enufo, and took him to their den at the outskirts of the town, where they gave the entire Kokori chiefs terms on repossession of a rifle lost by the group.
Spokesperson for the Joint Task Force, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, told Sunday Vanguard, on Thursday, on phone, that one AK 47 rifle, three magazines and 86 rounds of 7.62 mm special were recovered after the shootout.
He said following a tip-off that some kidnappers and other hoodlums were converging at an uncompleted building in Kokori, soldiers went to the place to find out but were confronted by the hoodlums, who opened fire.
Nwachukwu confirmed that the soldiers returned fire, overpowered and arrested three of them, adding, “During interrogation, the suspects confessed to being in the Kelvin gang and one of them said he was a classmate to Kelvin. We are still investigating.”
The chief, kidnapped and later released by the gang, was accused of leading the Kokori Council of Chiefs on a self-seeking mission to Warri to apologize to the Ovie of Agbon kingdom, HRM Ogurimerime , Ukori I, over his plight. [Vanguard]
FG should be opened and see things going wrong in the nation without acting. Imagine soldiers battling with youths in kokori,and oil theft are there using escort all over warri and its environs. These are well known deltans that are even holding political appointments. The rich getting richer,while the poor getting poorer. ITS WRONG
I notice that ther’s no human right policy in nigeria, that’s y soldiers who supose to remain in barak are sent to the public to intimidate the masses & freedom fighters, this is nt ther work. Government shuld avoid using army 4 intimidation and send them back to barak, when d leaders emback in smugling public money they wil use army 2 cover themselves that’s y nigerian army is loosing respect, take a luk at Aba what government is doing using soldiers to intimidate people of d area y ther’s no road and infractures, no even a single govnment presence in Aba imagin truck pushers paying liecence 2 d govnment in order to have a plate number, what a mense present administration. What about worri in delta state, y cn’t we emback on a good governance. Bible said “NO INTIMIDATION. NO ESTORTION. BE CONTENT WITH UR PAYS” remember one day u will nt be there, what wil be ur foot print, that’s what i can tell Goodluk & Ochendo’s administration.