Police in Onitsha arrest Sanitation agency officials for robbing Journalist

By Nnenna Ezea

The police in Onitsha, Anambra State have arrested two suspects who alleged robbed a Lagos- based journalist , Emeka Mamah near the Niger Bridge about two weeks ago.

The suspected robbers were alleged to have initially claimed to be workers with the Anambra Sanitation Agency, ASTA, and reportedly blocked the journalist where he packed his vehicle, a KIA Saloon car with registration number-(Lagos) NC 521 KJA by the side of the road to buy recharge card and dragged him into a white bus. They were said to had driven him to a lonely corner under the bridge and robbed him of N9,000 which he had for fuel at gun point.

•Afeez Ringim, IGP

Before, taking him away in their white bus, one of the robbers had asked him to surrender his car key after they had warned him about the consequences of his refusal to hand over the key.

According to sources at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Fegge, Onitsha where the matter was transferred to from the Head Bridge Police Post, the two suspects were arrested following the description given by the journalist, especially concerning the type of dresses worn by the suspects.

It was said that when the incident was reported at the Head bridge Police Post at about 11.30 am on August 8, police detectives swung into action and trailed the suspects to Asaba, Delta State, before trailing them to ASTA office, near the Niger Bridge head, Onitsha.

According to Police sources, “at the ASTA office, the officials co-operated with us and this led to the identification of the suspects. The officials said that there was no law stopping people from parking well at the area where the journalist was abducted, adding that, even at that, the suspects were not on duty at the time they committed the offense.

‘’They however, asked the police detectives to allow them arrest and hand the suspects over to the police for further interrogation but to our dismay, the ASTA authorities forwarded a letter of dismissal of all their men involved without bringing them physically to the police station as promised.

‘’As we speak, the two suspects are still with the police at Onitsha as the the other suspects, including the one identified as colonel (who is the armory keeper ) for them have bolted away,’’ the source at Fegge Police Station told Crime Guard. In his comments about the robbery, Mamah who is the deputy News Editor with Vanguard Newspapers, Lagos described the incident as bizarre.

‘’At first, I thought they were kidnappers as they forcefully took my car from me and asked one of the gang members to drive my four children and follow them. However, when they asked me to surrender all the money I had and threatened to work on me with their gun, I even became more confused.

‘’It was when one of the gangsters referred to as ‘Colonel’ threatened to work on me if I did not surrender every cash I had, that it dawned on me that I was in for trouble.

‘’When they were taking me to the lonely place where they robbed me, they repeatedly asked how much I had on me and the need to declare everything. At a time, I thought they were genuine officials of ASTA and asked them to take me to their office because I had not committed any offense until the so-called colonel threatened to deal with me with his pistol.

‘’By the time they stopped at the place they collected my money, they warned me to drive straight to Asaba and not to report the matter anywhere. They even promised to escort me into Asaba to ensure that I did not branch to any other place in Onitsha. But by the time I reversed the car, I saw the nearby police post where I ran into and reported the matter,’’ Mamah stated.