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The Rivers State Police Command has arrested suspected armed robbers linked to a series of tricycle thefts across the Elelenwo, Igwuruta, Tank, and Woji areas of Port Harcourt.
In a statement, the command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koku, said that on March 19, 2026, at about 11:00 p.m., a 32-year-old tricycle operator, Sadiq Gara, reported at Octopus Base that he had been robbed the previous day.
According to him, on March 18, at about 9:00 a.m., while operating in Elelenwo, he picked up three passengers. During the trip, the passengers asked him to stop at a location, and one of them pulled out a gun and dispossessed him of his tricycle.
“Following the report, operatives of the command immediately swung into action and successfully recovered the stolen tricycle. Further intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of two suspects at their hideout in Army Range, Igwuruta. The suspects are Abdullahi Mohammed, 23, and Yusuf Umaru, 25,” the statement said.
The police also arrested Mohammed Usman, 28, suspected to be a receiver of stolen items.
Iringe-Koku said the suspects confessed to the crime during interrogation. Items recovered from them include a locally made pistol, two live cartridges, and two stolen tricycles.
She added that during the investigation, another victim, Rosemary James, identified one of the suspects as a member of the gang that had earlier robbed her of her tricycle this year.
Preliminary findings revealed that the suspects are part of a syndicate responsible for robbing tricycle operators across the Elelenwo, Igwuruta, Tank, and Woji axis. The suspects also admitted to delivering over 20 stolen tricycles to the receiver, who transported them to Kano, Bauchi, and Adamawa states.
“Investigation is ongoing, and efforts have been intensified to apprehend other members of the gang and recover more stolen tricycles,” she added.
