By USMAN ALIYU

The Police in Edo have arrested a suspected armed robber and recovered a cache of weapons, luxury vehicles during a raid on a criminal hideout in Benin.

The Command’s spokesman, CSP Moses Yamu, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Benin.

Yamu said operatives from the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Unit of the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) on May 13 stormed a hotel in Benin.

He said the operation led to the arrest of 22-year-old Endurance Oviojie, while four other suspects identified as Clinton, Jeff, Mike, and Emmanuel alias Slim Khalifa fled the scene by scaling the fence into neighbouring compounds.

“The police recovered a significant haul of items including one English Beretta pistol, one locally fabricated pistol, one round of ammunition, 18 live cartridges, multiple mobile phones, a tablet device, charms, and substances suspected to be illicit drugs.

“In a follow-up operation, the police also seized four unregistered Mercedes-Benz vehicles – a black C350, a grey C300, a grey GLA 250, and a red GLE 350 suspected to have been used for criminal activities,” he said.

The police spokesperson said the arrested suspect had already been charged to court, while a manhunt was ongoing to apprehend the fleeing gang members.

The Edo Commissioner of Police, Mr Monday Agbonika, has warned all criminal elements to either leave the state or face the full wrath of the law.

“We are resolute in our mission to rid Edo of criminal elements.

“This command will sustain this offensive until law-abiding citizens can feel safe and secure in every corner of the state,” the commissioner assured.

He urged the public to remain vigilant and continue to provide timely information to help clamp down on crime across the state. (NAN)