The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested a suspected armed robber and recovered two locally made pistols and two machetes during a follow-up operation in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of the state.

The Command disclosed this in a statement signed by its Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, on Monday.

The operation followed a distress alert received by police operatives at about 5am on September 14, 2026, concerning a violent attack at Ikot Ekweng Village in Ibiono Ibom.

According to the statement, the patrol team was directed by the Command Control Room to the area, where an officer identified as Inspector Henry reported that he had allegedly been attacked by one Ini Mfon.

The suspect was alleged to have attacked the police officer with a machete while attempting to dispossess him of his tricycle, leaving the officer with an injury to his right hand.

Following the report, the operatives launched an immediate follow-up operation and traced the suspect to his residence, where he was arrested.

A search of the premises subsequently led to the recovery of two locally made pistols and two machetes allegedly found in the suspect’s possession.

The police said the recovery had widened the scope of the investigation, as detectives were working to establish the source of the firearms and determine whether they had been used in previous criminal operations.

Investigators are also probing possible links between the suspect and other criminal elements or syndicates operating within or outside Ibiono Ibom, while the recovered weapons have been secured as exhibits.

The Commissioner of Police commended the operatives for what he described as their prompt response, courage and professionalism, saying the operation demonstrated the Command’s determination to confront violent crime and illegal firearms possession.

Azare said the Command would sustain intelligence-led policing, targeted raids and aggressive patrols aimed at recovering illegal firearms and disrupting criminal networks across Akwa Ibom.

He urged residents to promptly report suspicious persons, criminal hideouts and the movement or possession of illegal firearms, assuring that credible information supplied to the police would be treated confidentially. The suspect remains in custody as investigation continues and will be charged to court upon its conclusion.