Police kill ‘Devil’ whose gang felled over 30 people in Rivers

Rivers State Police Command has killed a notorious gang leader, Linus Lebari (a.k.a. Devil) from Teka Sogho in Khana Council of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni, disclosed that the hoodlum was the leader of the kidnapping gang responsible for all the attacks on the Ogoni axis of the East-West Road.

He added that the gang had killed over 30 people in Khana and Gokana councils after collecting ransom.

According to Omoni, the hoodlum was killed last night by men of Bori Police Station led by the Division Police Officer (DPO) in a coordinated operation by ‘Operation Sting’.

Omoni disclosed that the hoodlums were trailed to their hide-out in a forest at Okwale.

He said, “The hoodlums, on noticing irregular movements around their camp, started shooting sporadically. But in return fire from the police, one of them was fatally wounded. He was later identified to be Linus Lebari, the gang leader.

“In the wake of the operation, two police officers sustained gunshot wounds and are responding to treatment while one locally-made pistol and some cartridges were recovered.”

The police spokesman said that efforts were on to arrest other gangsters who fled with gunshot wounds.

The Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura, he noted, has reassured the public that the onslaught against armed banditry in the state was raging and would not cease until all criminal elements in the state were wiped out.

Dandaura appealed for cooperation from the public through the sharing of credible information that would lead to the arrest of the criminals.