Enugu police arrest 5 persons over alleged theft of Church equipment

POLICE in Enugu have arrested five persons for allegedly stealing musical and communication instruments belonging to Holy Ghost Cathedral Church, Enugu.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, in a statement on Friday said that suspects were picked up by law-enforcement agents on June 5, this year.

Amaraizu noted that the arrest of the five suspects followed intelligence information passed by a commercial bus driver to police operatives in Anambra and Enugu on the activities of the suspects.

The spokesman noted that the police operatives from the Central Police Station, Enugu had recovered all the 15 stolen speakers and communications equipment of the Cathedral Church.

He noted that the principal suspect, one Chukwuebuka Onwe (22), was a security guard working in the Church before a generating set was allegedly stolen in the Church and was traced to him and his other cohort then.

According to him, Onwe, absconded from duty after the incident, adding that it was at the point that the police stepped into the investigation on the matter.

“He was never seen till now but the other of his cohorts had been diligently prosecuted and had been cooling their heels in prison custody”, he further stated.

“But in what may appear as unrepentant act on the side of Onwe, he later initiated another line of a criminal act in which he suddenly comes into the Church in the early hours on several occasion where he allegedly carted away 15 speakers and other cathedral communication implements.

“It was however gathered that his evil deed and that of his cohorts came to the end as he was promptly arrested around Nkpor axis of Anambra by police operatives of both Anambra and Enugu States who had shared information about him.

“On that fateful day at about 4.15 a.m., the suspect broke into the Church after allegedly stealing the remaining sets of musical instruments; he contracted a bus driver to take him to Nkpor to sell the items but the driver was so observant to have noticed Holy Ghost Cathedral Church inscriptions on the speakers.

“It was further gathered that on that note, the driver promptly contacted police operatives who arrested the suspect and alerted the operatives of the Central Police Station, Enugu who had been on investigations of the dastard acts of Onwe,’’ he said.

“According to Amaraizu, the arrest of the major suspect led to the arrest of four others who are buyers of this equipment but based in Nkpor and Onitsha in Anambra State respectively.

“All the stolen speakers and communication equipment of the Cathedral Church have been recovered by police operatives who are investigating the matter,’’ he added.

ENDS