The Rivers State Police Command has stormed a criminal hideout in Oderereke community in Ahoada-West Local Government Area of Rivers State, killing a suspected notorious cultist and an armed robber during a crossfire.
The command’s spokesman, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement in Port Harcourt, noting that the suspect, Silas Oderereke, popularly known as General, has been on the wanted list of police for about four years.
Iringe-Koko revealed that the police operatives invaded the den of the criminals in Oderereke community in Ahoada-West Local Government Area of the state and that on sighting the police operatives, the criminals opened fire, adding that the the suspect was brought down in the gun battle.
According to the PPRO, two other suspected criminals sustained injuries, while two associates of the deceased identified as Danger Boy and 2 Man managed to escape and are still on the run.
“In a major breakthrough, the Rivers State Police Command successfully apprehended a notorious armed robber and cult leader, Silas Oderereke, in Oderereke, Ahoada-West Local Government Area.
“Oderereke, also known as ‘General,’ had been on the run for the past four years, evading arrest . However, his reign of terror came to an end when he resisted arrest and opened fire on the police, resulting in his death.
“Upon searching the gang’s hideout, the police discovered a G3 Rifle and nineteen 7.62x51mm ammunition. Further investigations uncovered a camp Oderereke had established between Oderereke and Olokuma Communities.
“This camp served as a base for the cult leader and his numerous followers, from where they launched robbery attacks on innocent members of neighboring communities,” the statement partly read.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, congratulated the officers for their exceptional work.
He however issued a stern warning to cultists in the state, urging them to abandon their criminal activities and renounce cultism, or face the full weight of the law.
