Police on the trail of fleeing AK traditional father
●As operatives blast illegal gun fabricating workshop
By EmmanNtekim
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has called on members of the public to help it with credible information that would assist it track down the village head of Ine Eyoabasi, Chief Kingdom Bane, whom it has declared wanted. Ine Eyoabasi is a fishing settlement.
Bane, the police said, is wanted in connection with his alleged involvement in militant and piracy activities around the state’s coastal region.
The Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, disclosed this, Tuesday, 4 November 2025, at a press briefing held at the State Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo.
According to Azare, the Command, working together with marine hunters, on 3rd November 2025, arrested one Samuel Geofrey, 27, suspected to be a militant from Bayelsa State.
While undergoing interrogation, the suspect is said to have confessed to having an unlawfully acquired rifle which he kept in the custody of the said Kingdom Bane.
On getting the information, the police boss said, operatives were directed to go after the village head. However, CP Azare revealed, “Upon sighting our operatives, the village head fled.”
The operatives went ahead and conducted a search in Bane’s residence, during the course of which they recovered, “several items suspected to have been stolen from sea travellers,” Azare stated.
The items included several outboard engines (40HP, 15HP, and 8HP), power heads, gearboxes, generating sets, a deep freezer, toilet fittings, and a sewing machine.
While the suspect, Geofrey, remained in custody, CP Azare assured that efforts were ongoing to arrest the fleeing village head, vowing that no criminal, regardless of their status, would escape justice.
“This operation demonstrates our resolve to dismantle criminal networks from the creeks of Mbo to the heart of Uyo. We will pursue every suspect until they face the law,” he asserted.
The Police boss further said that his men in the past few weeks also neutralised an illegal gun manufacturing factory in Ekid Itam Village, Itu LGA, leading to the arrest of two suspects and recovery of locally made firearms and production tools.
CP Azare commended his officers and men for their professionalism and dedication, while appreciating residents of the state for their continued support for the securityagencies.
He urged persons whose phones or properties were stolen to report to the Command for identification and possible recovery.
“We are committed to ensuring that Akwa Ibom remains one of the safest states in Nigeria. Criminals must know there is no hiding place,” the commissioner assured.
