The Rivers State Police Command said its personnel had gunned down a notorious kidnapper, Ekweme Brown Ike, aka Lucifer.
Lucifer and members of his gang were said to be responsible for the hijack of some commercial buses and abduction of passengers in the Ndele area of the East-West Road in the Emohua Local Government Area of the state.
The deceased, who hailed from Egamini Rundele in the same area, was shot dead by personnel of the newly-created Operation Sting after he was chased from a community in Rivers to Bayelsa State.
It was gathered that the gun battle began when the police chased the hoodlum, who fired back while trying to escape with his gang members.
A statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Nnamdi Omoni, indicated that Lucifer had been on the wanted list of the command for a long time.
Omoni explained that the news of his death threw the entire Rundele community in Emohua into wild jubilation.
He stated that the operation that led to the death of the suspect was carried out by the Commander of the Operation Sting, Shem Evans, who is an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
It was learnt that nobody in the community believed that Ike could be killed by a gunshot because they were of the opinion that his charms would not fail him.
Omoni stressed, “The most wanted notorious kidnapper from Egamini Rundele in the Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Ekweme Brown Ike, also known as Lucifer, has been killed by personnel of the Operation Sting in an operation led by the Commander, ACP Shem Evans.
“Lucifer was responsible for all the kidnappings and hijack of commercial buses in the Ndele area of the East-West Road. The entire Rundele community has been thrown into wild jubilation as a result of his death.”
He added that investigation had been intensified with a view to arresting the fleeing members of his gang.
