Police arrest four more suspected vandals, recover iron poles in Cross River

The Cross River State Police Command has arrested four additional suspects and recovered iron materials in connection with the alleged vandalism and theft of facilities belonging to Akamkpa Quarry Limited, also known as Sterling Global.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, and made available to journalists in Calabar on Friday.

According to the statement, the arrests were made on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at Obung Community in Akamkpa Local Government Area by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU, Sector 2, Akamkpa/Ugep.

One Kelvin Ignatius and Arnold Okon had earlier been arrested on Thursday according to the police in an earlier report.

The arrests followed a distress call from the Village Head of Obung Community, HRH Ntufam Elijah Clement Effiong, who reportedly alerted the police that youths were pursuing suspected members of a vandalism syndicate.

The statement read, “The Cross River State Police Command has arrested four additional suspects in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged vandalism and theft of facilities belonging to Akamkpa Quarry Limited (Sterling Global), following the arrest of other suspects and recovery of exhibits announced by the Command on 27 August 2026.”

Eitokpah said the operatives responded promptly and arrested Michael Ochuche, 20; Elvis Enor Friday, 20; Theophilus Francis, 26; and Charles Vincent Etta, 23.

“Responding promptly, the operatives moved to the area and arrested Michael Ochuche, male, 20 years; Elvis Enor Friday, male, 20 years; Theophilus Francis, male, 26 years; and Charles Vincent Etta, male, 23 years. Two long iron poles and six iron reinforcement baskets were recovered,” the statement added.

The command said the latest arrests constituted a further breakthrough in its efforts to dismantle the network allegedly involved in the vandalism and theft of critical facilities in the area.

It added that investigation was ongoing to determine the extent of the suspects’ involvement and identify other persons allegedly connected to the syndicate.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ajo-Geoffrey Ordue, commended the VCRU operatives for their prompt response and the Obung Community leadership for providing timely information.

He reiterated the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and strengthened collaboration with communities to protect critical infrastructure.

Ordue said the suspects remained in police custody as investigation continued, adding that the command would pursue all leads and bring anyone found culpable to justice.