A police sergeant, Mathew (surname withheld) attached to the Department of Operations, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was among other 21 suspected criminals paraded by Abia State Police Command for robbery, cultism, fraud, vandalism and kidnapping, among other vices.
During interrogation, he confessed that he was arrested by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Obehie, Ukwa West Local Government Area of the state for aiding and abetting criminals in the area, while he also confessed he committed the crime with one Sergeant Isah (surname withheld) attached to 48 PMF Ahods, whom he said was at large.
Also police operatives attached to Central Police Station Aba, following a tip-off, arrested the following suspected armed robbers and cultists– Friday, Chukwuebuka, Chimaobi, Chidiebere, Chukwuemeka, Emmanuel and Ndubusi (surnames withheld) at Emeka Street, Aba, for robbing and dispossessing one Ezeugo Ogbonna of his valuables and cash worth N60,000 on October 28, as one suspected Onyekachi (surname withheld) who led police to arrest his gang.
Two suspected fraudsters, Collins and Fidelia (surnames withheld) was arrested by same Central Police Station Aba. According to the suspects, they specialised in faking and forging vehicle licence certificate of insurance, proof of ownership and other sensitive government documents, thereby defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.
On arrest of suspected gang of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), transformer vandals–Okoroafor, Christian and Ukaoma (surnames withheld), police said, were arrested in Isalangwa South, in collaboration with the vigilante group at Umueze Nvosi on October 20.
Other four suspected cultists also arrested were Aigbemen, Udu John, Charles and Okoye (surnames withheld). They were apprehended with the effort of other security outfit attached to Covenant Polytechnic, Aba, just as another set of three suspected robbery gang—Kenneth, Sunday and Chinweikpe (surnames withheld) who specialise in robbing motorists and house-breaking within Obehie and its environs were also arrested.
Items recovered while paraded by the state Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade, included three locally-made double barrel short guns, five live cartridges, machete and Techno phones.
Other items were fake and forged vehicle documents, typewriter, two rolls of heavy armoured cables, hack saw, fetish charm, cocaine, among other things.
Oyebade urged the public to continue to give useful and timely information to police, assuring that there would be no hiding place for criminals in Abia State.
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