A gang of four armed robbers, who raided the Rahama bureau de change and carted away foreign and local currencies in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, have been arrested by the police.
Our correspondent gathered that the robbers were apprehended by the Special Anti Fraud Unit of the police.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Kingsley Omire, who confirmed the development to our correspondent on Thursday, said two locally made pistols and one expended cartridge were recovered from the suspects.
Omire, who named the suspects as Kelvin Joseph, Petty Friday, Friday Joseph and Sunday Iniziri, said a Mazda car with number plate DEC 105 XA used in the robbery operation was among the recovered items.
He said N108,500; ¢1,100 and £430 which formed part of the money stolen at the bureau, were retrieved from the bandits.
The commissioner lamented that despite the floods ravaging the state, criminals were on the prowl dispossessing traumatised members of the public of their valuables.
He said the command had arrested over 24 suspects for various offences including cultism in the past three weeks.
He said the command arrested Ifiemi Thompson and Ayebabere Paul for illegal possession of G3 riffle with 83 rounds 7.62 live ammunition.
Their arrest, he said, was part of the ongoing efforts to mop up illegal firearms in accordance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar.
He said, “Our men posed as buyers of firearms and approached the suspects who sold the arms and ammunition and were later apprehended.”
He noted that the one of the suspected cultists who murdered Orlando and British at Azikoro village in Yenagoa was rounded up by the police.
“The suspect, Diepreye Sunday, who has been at large after killing the two men has been apprehended. His arrest followed a tip-off that led to a raid of a criminal hideout in Yenagoa,” he said.