The Rivers State Police Command has arrested Felix Nwaobakata, the commander of a local vigilante group, with two human skulls and other human parts at his hideout in Omoku, the headquarters of the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
The police revealed that its operatives also arrested seven other members of the local security group for various crimes, including murder, as part of their efforts to curb the activities of vigilante groups in the state.
This was contained in a statement by Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson of the State Police Command, issued in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Wednesday.
Iringe-Koko disclosed that Felix, who is the Commander of the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee (OSPAC), was a principal suspect in the murder of two brothers in Idu in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA on May 1, 2024, on the accusation that they were kidnappers.
The statement mentioned that Nwaobakata and other OSPAC members were arrested after numerous complaints about their activities in different parts of the state, especially in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA. It was noted that operatives of the group had recently attacked a police division in Omoku and clashed with other security agencies.
The statement read, “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.
“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 honor 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 at 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.”
The brothers were said to have been killed on May 1, 2024, by the OSPAC on the allegation that they were kidnappers. Their motorcycles were reportedly confiscated, and their bodies were taken to the OSPAC secretariat in Omoku.