Port Harcourt, Rivers State – In a startling development, the Rivers State Police Command has announced the arrest of Felix Nwaobakata, the commander of a local vigilante group known as the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee (OSPAC).
According to the police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, Nwaobakata was taken into custody at his hideout in Omoku, the headquarters of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area. During the arrest, authorities recovered two human skulls and other body parts in Nwaobakata’s possession.
The police statement revealed that Nwaobakata is a principal suspect in the murder of two brothers, Collins Ugorji (32) and Newman Ugorji (39), from the Idu community. The brothers were allegedly killed on May 1, 2024, by OSPAC members on suspicion of being kidnappers. Their motorcycles were reportedly confiscated, and their bodies were taken to the OSPAC secretariat in Omoku.
In a related incident, the police also arrested seven other OSPAC members for various crimes, including murder. On May 3, 2024, the Youths of Egbeda Community in Emuoha LGA staged a peaceful protest at the Lubrik Construction Company in Egbeda. After the protest, the youths were allegedly ambushed by a group of OSPAC members led by the Egbeda OSPAC Commander, Friday Ogbuji, who shot and killed the Youth Leader, Innocent Didia.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, acknowledged the importance of vigilante groups in the community policing system but warned that the police will not tolerate any acts of illegality, excessive use of force, torture, or other forms of criminality by these groups. He urged residents with complaints of assault, extortion, or illegal detention to report to the nearest police station.
The Rivers State Police Command has vowed to continue investigating these cases and related ones, with the intention of charging them to a court of competent jurisdiction.
