Crime

Police Arrest Vigilante Leader in Rivers State with Human Skulls

Published by Tope Fakinlede on July 3rd, 2024.

Police Arrest Vigilante Leader in Rivers State with Human Skulls

The Rivers State Police Command has apprehended Felix Nwaobakata, the leader of a local vigilante group, after discovering two human skulls and other remains at his hideout in Omoku, the administrative center of the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area.

Authorities reported the arrest of seven additional members of the vigilante group for various offenses, including murder, as part of ongoing efforts to mitigate vigilantism in the region.

Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, made the announcement in a statement from Port Harcourt, the state’s capital, on Wednesday.

According to Iringe-Koko, Nwaobakata, who leads the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee (OSPAC), is a key suspect in the murder of two brothers in Idu, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA, on May 1, 2024. The brothers were accused of being kidnappers.

The statement highlighted that Nwaobakata and other OSPAC members were detained following numerous complaints about their activities across the state, particularly in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA. Recently, members of this group had reportedly attacked a police division in Omoku and clashed with other security agencies.

“The Rivers State Police Command has begun a crackdown on the excessive actions of vigilante groups operating within the state,” the statement read.

“This action follows numerous complaints about the activities of the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee in various parts of the State, especially in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA, and their clashes with other security agencies.”

On May 9, 2024, Alhaji Usman Seleh, the Chairman of the Hausa Indigenous Group in ONELGA, reported the abduction of one of his group members by OSPAC to the police. When Nwaobakata failed to respond to multiple police summons, OSPAC members coordinated an attack on the Omoku police division, which the police successfully repelled.

Subsequently, tactical units of the command raided the ONELGA OSPAC camp in Omoku, arresting Cheta Benjamin, Joshua Ekwosa, Innocent Ahiakwu, and four others.

On June 17, 2024, Nwaobakata was finally arrested at his hideout in Omoku, where two human skulls and other human bones were found in his possession.

Nwaobakata is also implicated in the murders of Collins Ugorji (32) and Newman Ugorji (39) from the Idu Community in ONELGA. The brothers were allegedly killed by OSPAC on May 1, 2024, under the accusation of being kidnappers. Their motorcycles were seized, and their bodies were taken to the OSPAC secretariat in Omoku.