FOUR SUSPECTS NABBED AS POLICE INTENSIFY CRACKDOWN ON CROSS RIVER VANDALISM

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

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

The police said the operation followed a distress call from the Village Head of Obung Community, HRH Ntufam Elijah Clement Effiong, who alerted authorities after youths reportedly began pursuing suspected members of a vandalism syndicate.

Responding to the alert, police operatives moved to the area and arrested four men identified as Michael Ochuche, 20; Elvis Enor Friday, 20; Theophilus Francis, 26; and Charles Vincent Etta, 23.

During the operation, the police recovered two long iron poles and six iron reinforcement baskets believed to be connected to the alleged vandalism activities.

The latest arrests came shortly after the command announced the arrest of two other suspects, Kelvin Ignatius and Arnold Okon, in connection with the same investigation. Iron materials were also recovered following their arrest.

The police said the development represented another breakthrough in efforts to dismantle the network allegedly responsible for vandalising and stealing critical facilities belonging to the quarry company.

Authorities said investigations were ongoing to establish the individual roles of the four newly arrested suspects and determine whether other people were involved in the alleged criminal activities.

The Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, Ajo-Geoffrey Ordue, commended the operatives of the VCRU for their prompt response and praised the leadership of Obung Community for providing information that assisted the operation.

Ordue reiterated the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and stronger cooperation with communities in protecting critical infrastructure across the state.

He assured residents that the police would continue to pursue all available leads and bring anyone found culpable before the law.

The suspects remain in police custody as investigations continue into the alleged vandalism and theft of facilities in the Akamkpa area.