Suspected serial mobile phone thief arrested in Bayelsa

A suspected high profiled mobile phone thief, Namibia Agese, who has been on the most-wanted list of the Bayelsa State Vigilante Security outfit has been arrested while robbing one Victoria James, a native of Edo State of her phone and belongings in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.

According to reports made available to Nigerian Tribune, a team of the State Vigilante stationed at the popular Tombia-Etegwe Roundabout apprehended the “high-profiled-phone-thief” identified as Namibia Jacob Agese, a member of the greenlanders cult group, while fleeing the crime scene.

The suspect who has confessed to the crime was arrested on Monday evening barely 24 hours after he and one of his gang members, now at large, succeeded in carrying out the crime, but ran out of luck when the lady raised the alarm that drew the attention of the men of the state vigilante who chased and apprehended him.

According to the victim, the incident happened about 7pm on Saturday, while on her way to see a sister of her’s who reside at the Tombia roundabout axis, adding that she was accosted by two stern-looking young men who threatened her to hand over her phone.

She explained that “after collecting my phone, I begged and brought out money in exchange for the phone, which they collected but still went ahead to collect my phone and ran away. It was at that point, I started shouting but couldn’t get help.

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“The next morning being Monday I decided to come back to meet the state vigilante men to complain and they asked me to move round the Tombia axis tactically to see if I could by luck identify any of the boys and report back to them.

“Luckily for me, when I checked round the area and decided to move towards the Imiringi road junction, on getting there, I saw one of the boys that robbed me. I quickly rushed back to the vigilante men and told them. At that point they, technically moved to the area and that was how he was arrested.”

The suspect, Agese, aged 25 years from Delta State has confessed to be a member of the greenlanders cult group, while further confessing to the crime and has disclosed that the phone is with his crime partner who is now at large.

Speaking further on the matter, the Chairman of the state vigilante service, Hon. Doubiye Alagba, who before handling over the suspect to the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Bayelsa Command, disclosed that the suspect is amongst those terorising the Tombia-Etegwe axis of the state before the vigilante restored calmness.

He said “upon his arrest, we have had series of resident who saw him and identified him as a notorious criminal who has been arrested severally and will not turn a new leaf.

“Barely a day after the suspect and his partner allegedly stole the mobile phone and escaped, the suspect was nabbed on Monday by our galant men in same location.

“Let me use this medium to make this clear to these criminals who think the state vigilante will be tired of our operations at the Tombia roundabout axis and other flashpoints in the state, that our operations will last beyond their imagination.”