The Rivers State Police Command has announced a major crackdown on the Onelga Security and Peace Advisory Committee (OSPAC) vigilante group operating in the state.
According to a police statement signed by PRO, Grace Iringe-Koko, the move follows “numerous complaints about the operations of the OSPAC in different parts of the State, predominantly in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA (ONELGA), as well as clashes with other Security Agencies by this Vigilante Group.”
The statement cites several incidents that prompted the police action, including the abduction of a member of the Hausa community, an attack on a police station in Omoku, and the extrajudicial killings of two brothers from the Idu community who were falsely accused of kidnapping.
“The ONELGA OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwaobakata, was subsequently arrested in his hideout in Omoku on June 17th, 2023, where two human skulls and human bones were found in his possession,” the police statement reads.
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.”
In another incident, the Egbeda OSPAC Commander, Friday Ogbuji, is accused of leading a group that “shot and killed the Youth Leader, Innocent Didia” during a peaceful protest.
Rivers State Police Commissioner Olatunji Disu has assured the public that the command is “committed to carrying out its duty of protecting lives and property” and “will not tolerate any act of illegality, excessive use of force, torture, fraudulent conversion of properties, and other varying forms of criminality by the OSPAC or any other vigilante outfit.”
While acknowledging the importance of vigilante groups in community policing, the commissioner stressed that their activities must remain “within the ambit of the law and issue a stern warning to any individual or group who chooses to operate outside the scope of the law.”
The police have made several arrests and vowed to continue investigating these cases and bring the perpetrators to justice.