The Abia State Police Command has arrested 13 suspected criminals in a series of intelligence-led operations targeting armed robbery, unlawful possession of firearms, cultism and vandalism of government property across the state.
The Command said the operations, carried out by various tactical teams, led to the recovery of firearms, ammunition, hard drugs, communication gadgets and other incriminating exhibits.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chioma Chinaka, said the arrests underscored the Command’s commitment to sustaining its kinetic and non-kinetic strategies in the fight against crime.
“The Abia State Police Command has continued to record significant successes in its kinetic and non-kinetic operational strategies in combating crime across the State, leveraging actionable intelligence,” she stated.
According to the police, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) intercepted 27-year-old Uchenna Agbneiwu, a native of Nkume in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, who resides in Ubakala, Umuahia.
He was reportedly found transporting a vandalised large galvanised pipeline concealed beneath sawdust inside a white Toyota Hiace bus.
Police said efforts were ongoing to arrest other suspects who fled the scene.
In a separate operation on August 2, operatives of the VCRU in Aba North arrested 27-year-old Williams Ifeanyi of Market Road, Aba, for allegedly robbing a victim at gunpoint along Market Road by Rail.
A locally made pistol and live cartridges were recovered from the suspect.
The Command also disclosed that operatives of the Uratta Divisional Police Headquarters, acting on credible intelligence, arrested two suspects identified as John Chigozie, 25, and David Anyaka, 26, over an armed robbery attack at a hotel in Aba on August 1.
According to the police, a locally made firearm and live ammunition were recovered during the operation, while investigations are continuing.
In what the Command described as another major breakthrough, operatives of the VCRU, Bende Road, on August 4 raided a meeting of suspected cult members at Umuezeagwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area, leading to the arrest of several suspects.
Items recovered from the group included a pump-action gun, a Beretta pistol, live cartridges, a cutlass, an axe, substances suspected to be hard drugs, walkie-talkies, a face mask, two red berets and one black beret.
Overall, police recovered a cache of weapons and other exhibits, including a locally made pistol, a locally made single-barrel gun, a Beretta pistol, a pump-action gun, eight live cartridges, communication gadgets, suspected hard drugs and cult-related items.
DSP Chinaka reaffirmed the Command’s resolve to rid the state of criminal elements and urged residents to continue supporting security agencies with credible and timely intelligence.
“The Command reiterates its commitment to the protection of lives and property, prevention and detection of crime, and the maintenance of law and order,” she said.
She encouraged members of the public to report suspicious activities through the nearest police station or the Command’s emergency lines.
