•Arrest suspects, recover arms

By Anayo Okoli, Umuahia

The police in Abia have commenced an aggressive mop-up of criminal in the state with a view to creating a crime-free environment for both the residents and holiday makers during the forth-coming Xmas and New Year festivities. The command boss, Leye Oyebade, said they are making good their resolve to fight crime to a standstill and give Abians and all inhabitants’ quality Police services.

Matching orders

To this end, the Commissioner of Police has given a matching order to all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and all specialized units involved in crime management to utilize the avenues of intelligence led policing / community, visibility policing and constant intelligence led raid of criminal hide outs, in its renewed drive aimed at bringing the desired security atmosphere to all inhabitants of the state. The aggressive mop-up of criminals in the state he stated, is paying off with positive and laudable achievements.

Massive arrests and recovery of arms

Crime Guard gathered that the command Safer Highway Patrol ABS 014 kick started the arrests at refuse dump along Umuahia- Port Harcourt Expressway where they arrested one Ahamefula Anya of Edda in Ebonyi State and one Sera John of Ozuitem- Bende in Abia State. The suspects hijacked one National Union of Road Transport Workers coaster bus with registration no. WER 190 ZZ, from Aba to Umuahia at Ubakala Junction and robbed the passengers.

•Cp Leye Oyebade of Abia state

Exhibits recovered from them include; One locally made double barrel pistol, One life cartridge, One hammer, Eight different phones and the sum of sixteen thousand naira (N16,000.00) The suspects, according to police sources, are members of a notorious robbery gang that specializes in hijacking commuter vehicles between Ubakala and Aba and robbing passengers of their valuables. It was learned that efforts are being intensified to track down and arrest other fleeing members of the gang.

Smashing of car snatching syndicate

The strategies deployed by the Police command to checkmate the activities of car snatching and other heinous crimes in the state paid off when the Police in Ogbor Hill Aba, received a distress call that a Toyota sienna car have just been snatched at Choice Supermarket, Ikot Ekpene Road Aba, at gun point. Operatives swung into action, and on sighting the police, the hoodlums opened fire and at the end of the gun duel that ensued, one of the gang members was arrested with bullet wounds and was taken to hospital for medical attention but was later certified dead by the medical doctor. The vehicle was recovered and detectives are on the trail of other fleeing members of the gang.

Arrest of armed robbers and recovery of stolen vehicle

In the same vein, four men who specialized in snatching tricycles from drivers were arrested at Obehie Junction following intelligence received by the Police. The arrested gang members are; Amechi Chinwuba, Uchenna orji and Kosisochi Agaby.

They confessed to the crime and led detectives to the recovery of a tricycle which the gang snatched from the owner after beating him to a state of coma at Afam Road, Oyigbo, Rivers State. Similarly, Police operatives attached to Osisioma Police Station Aba, arrested one Godswill Nwaru along Ekeakpala in Osisioma, with one locally- made double barrel gun with two live cartridges. The suspect was arrested when he was about to rob people in a hotel at Ekeakpara.

This is just as a patrol team attached to Central Police Station Aba, arrested one Chukwuemeka Ibeh, 24, at Ohanku Road Aba while trying to break into a warehouse at stockfish section of the market. A big iron cutter was recovered from him.

Crime guard further gathered that through intelligence-led policing, detectives attached to Central Police station arrested one Ugochukwu Erastus Oboba, 34, who conspired with others now at large and blocked the MTN sim card of one Nwachukwu Ekwueme Innocent, a lecturer at Abia Polytechnic Aba, thereby preventing him from receiving calls, SMS, as well as bank truncation alert.

The suspect reportedly did a welcome back of the complaint phone number thereby availing him of relevant information with which he accessed the account of his victim on line and withdrew the sum of N6m from the account of the victim from GT Bank and transferred N400, 000 to his account at Access Bank.

The suspect confessed to the crime and mentioned his gang member as one Eziulo Irokwe of Glossy Focus Gem School, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos State. Detectives are still investigating while efforts are on to apprehend other gang members.