The Cross River State Police Command has arrested four more suspects over the alleged vandalism and theft of facilities belonging to Akamkpa Quarry Limited, also known as Sterling Global.
The Punch reported that the latest arrests bring the number of suspects apprehended in connection with the incident to six, following the earlier arrest of Kelvin Ignatius and Arnold Okon.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Calabar on Friday.
According to the statement, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU, Sector 2, Akamkpa/Ugep, made the latest arrests on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at Obung Community in Akamkpa Local Government Area.
The police said the operation followed a distress call from the Village Head of Obung Community, HRH Ntufam Elijah Clement Effiong, who alerted security operatives after youths began pursuing individuals suspected of belonging to a vandalism syndicate.
Eitokpah said the operatives quickly moved into the area 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 described the arrests as another major breakthrough in its efforts to dismantle the alleged network involved in the vandalism and theft of critical infrastructure in the area.
It said investigations were ongoing to establish the level of involvement of the suspects and identify other individuals allegedly linked to the syndicate.
The Commissioner of Police, Ajo-Geoffrey Ordue, praised the VCRU operatives for their swift response and commended the Obung Community leadership for providing timely information to the police.
Ordue reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and stronger cooperation with local communities to safeguard critical infrastructure.
He added that the suspects remained in police custody while investigations continued, stressing that the command would follow all leads and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the law.
