The Rivers State Police Command has arrested 12 suspects in connection with a violent attack on Unity Estate, Mbodo–Aluu, along Airport Road in Port Harcourt, which left several residents injured, properties damaged and one person abducted.
The incident occurred on Monday, January 5, 2026, at about 1:15 p.m., when suspected members of the OSPAC vigilante group from various communities in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, allegedly accompanied by hired thugs, stormed the estate.
In a statement on Wednesday, the command’s spokesperson, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, said the attackers were armed with pump-action guns, cutlasses, charms and other dangerous weapons, and fired shots indiscriminately, throwing residents into panic.
Preliminary investigations, according to the police, revealed that the attack was allegedly coordinated by Patrick Akandu and Omakwelem Onu Ihunwo Prince, who are currently at large. Also said to be on the run is the Akpor OSPAC commander, Azubuike, popularly known as “Ocean,” who allegedly led the operation.
Iringe-Koko said the assault resulted in the partial destruction of the estate and damage to several vehicles. One of the victims, Apostle Stephen Nmecha, a native of Rumuekini community, sustained a gunshot wound to the leg, which reportedly shattered the limb, before he was abducted by the attackers. Other residents reportedly suffered varying degrees of injuries and fled into nearby bushes to escape the violence.
She explained that operatives from the Choba Police Division responded promptly to a distress call and were reinforced by personnel from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Octopus Tactical Teams. The joint operation led to the rescue of the abducted victim, who was immediately taken to a medical facility for treatment.
During the operation, police recovered one automatic pump-action gun, one live cartridge, expended cartridges, assorted charms, five motorcycles, two mini-buses and one Siena van, all believed to have been used in carrying out the attack.
The suspects arrested were identified as Chinedu Nnodim (45) of Etche Local Government Area; Joel Wopara (49) of Rukpokwu; Wopara Iyke (45) of Rumuewara, Oraigwe; Henry Godwin Orumere (44) of Anaka, Abuja Road; Chidi Herbert (47) of Ehi Water, Rumuodumanya; Wobe Ginikanwa (44) of Airport Road, Rukpokwu; Bright Ezekiel (51) of Ezekiel Road, Nkpolu, Rumuigbo; Ibuchi Choice Wali Ogba (42) of Rumuwokeata, Ogbogoro; Okechukwu Igwe (54) of Airport Road, Rumuodumanya; John Chukwudi (56) of Rumuchi Road, Ozuoba; Chi Ezekwu (43) of Ezekwu Avenue; and Clement Bassey (32) of Omachi, Rumuodumanya, all in Port Harcourt.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olugbenga Adepoju, condemned the actions of the OSPAC operatives, describing them as reckless and reprehensible, and warned that no group or individual would be allowed to take the law into their hands under any guise.
