The Cross River State Police Command has recovered many looted items and arrested the hoodlums behind the orgy of violence that occurred on Saturday in the state capital.
Monday evening, the command announced that it has arrested one Johnson Richard Inem, the mastermind behind looting and the vandalisation of the Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC) at the weekend.
The command said items, including chillers, over 1000 pieces of customised chairs, customised designer carpets among other items were recovered from him.
Police Commissioner Abdulkadir Jimoh said the mastermind, a mechanic, was arrested at Esuk Otu behind NTA Calabar with various items.
His words: “So far, we recovered over 1000 customised chairs, chillers, rug carpets, ACs and many other items that were yet to be labelled from the CICC suspect.
“We are not resting on our oars. We also want to urge traditional rulers and religious leaders to make an announcement in their various domains by urging those who took government properties to return them immediately,” he said.
He explained that they arrested the suspect based on actionable intelligence during the house-to-house search, which started on Sunday.
“We have put plainclothes personnel in place to cultivate intelligence to ensure that perpetrators and receivers are arrested and brought to book. Anyone who still has looted item in their possession is warned to return them within the next 24 hours.”
The state government has relaxed the dust to dust curfew in the state to 4.30p.m. to 8a.m. beginning from today.