Anambra: Police Celebrates Harvest of Criminals, Recovery of Exhibits

FROM OUR CRIME DESK(ANAMBRA)

Nigeria Police Force, Anambra State Police Command, a few days ago, during a press briefing in the State Police Command Headquarters, Awka celebrated what they described as a ‘harvest’ of criminal suspects arrested in various places for various offenses as exhibits were recovered from the suspects who are allegedly involved various crimes they committed 

Having down the details of their achievements to newsmen while parading the suspects, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Echng Echng said his men, on 12/11/2022, a Venza jeep with Reg No. KRD 344 BT Lagos was intercepted while fleeing a scene where some of the hoodlums attacked Army patrol officers and killed one of them at Isuiofia in Aguata Council Area of the State and during gunfire that ensued between the police and the bandits, four suspected ESN/IPOB militants were neutralized and two walkie-talkies were recovered in the said   Venza jeep.

The CP recalled that the Venza jeep was earlier reported snatched at gunpoint on 20th October 2022 in Igbo-Ukwu Area. The owner of the vehicle who was around during the briefing later narrated her ordeal to media practitioners during the press briefing.

Continuing, Echng said; “these criminals, snatch vehicles at gun points and use the vehicles to perpetrate their acts of attacks on security personnel within and outside Anambra state. 

“Furthermore, on 5th November 2022 at about 0430hrs through actionable intelligence Police operatives attached to Ogidi Division stormed the house of suspected kidnapper Nwozor Chukwuka ‘m’, aged 38yrs old, and arrested him. 

“Consequent to interrogation, the suspect confessed to the offense of Kidnapping, Armed Robbery, and car snatching. He also disclosed his other gang members to include one Ifeanyi Mgboma ‘m’ of Nteje who resides at Umuoji in Idemili North L.G.A of Anambra State. The arrested suspect then took detectives to Ifeanyi Mbgoma’s house at Umuoji, where three stolen vehicles were kept and police recovered them”.

According to the police boss, the recovered vehicles are; one Avalon car dark-ash in color without a registration number, Lexus 330 SUV without a registration number, also dark-ash in color, and a Toyota corolla dark-ash in color without a registration number. However, Ifeanyi Mgboma is still at large efforts are in top gear to bring him to justice.

“Further to the above, detectives were led by Nwozor Chukwube to one Ejiofor Anene’s workshop at Awkuzu in Oyi LGA of Anambra State, where stolen cars are normally kept for repairs and repainting, before being sold to unsuspecting members of the public. 

“Other vehicles recovered at the said workshop include; one Toyota corolla, golden color without a registration number, and one Honda Pilot, black without a registration number. Other items recovered are five different number plates, and three GSM phones belonging to their victims”. 

CP Echng Echng revealed that three other suspects, namely; Pius Okonkwo ‘m’, aged 40yrs, Amaechi Ezedo ‘m’ aged 55yrs, and Smoke Charles ‘m’ aged 25yrs all of Nteje in Oyi LGA of Anambra State are painters who specialize in repainting stolen vehicles, thereby changing their looks before they are sold.

“Similarly, on 7th November 2022 at about 0752hrs one Mr. Ofoegbu Bernard ‘m’ of Nkwelle Ezunaka of Oyi LGA of Anambra State reported that on 6th November 2022 at about 1930hrs while driving his Toyota Corolla car with Reg No. ABJ 541 DU, ash in color along Onitsha/Enugu express road by Nkpor down flyover, armed men numbering about six double-crossed him and made away with his vehicle, GSM phones, Diamond Bank ATM card, and his other belongings. 

“On the same date at about 1430hrs through Data analysis, tracking, and intelligence, the vehicle was tracked down to a Hotel in Awada Area, and two suspects were arrested. The two suspects are; Success Asiegbu ‘m’, aged 26yrs of Okpanam road, Asaba, and Chiemerie Okeke ‘m’, 28yrs of No. 6 Oga street Coker Asaba both in Delta state. The two suspects upon interrogation confessed to the crimes of armed robbery, Kidnapping, and car snatching. 

“The vehicle in question was recovered at the hotel together with the Diamond Bank ATM card belonging to the victim which was recovered from one of the suspects. Consequent upon further rigorous interrogation, one of the suspects opened up and led detectives to Omogba Phase II in Onitsha North Council Area of Anambra State where one Toyota Camry 2.4 model was also recovered.

“On the strength of further interrogation on 10th November 2022 at about 0415hrs, one of the principal suspects, Emeka Okeke ‘m’ aged 28yrs, alias Akpa was arrested at Mgbachu village Nkpor. 

“Confirming that the suspect confessed to the crime and his confession led to the arrest of one Nzube Ikezue ‘m’, aged 31yrs of Akuzor village, Nkpor who was arrested as one of the receivers of stolen vehicles, the State Police boss made it known that the aforesaid receivers led police detectives to Asaba in Delta State where one Toyota Corolla saloon car, light green without a registration number was recovered one painter, Habib Adedigba who had the stolen vehicle was arrested for further interrogation. 

“It is worthy of note to put on record that one of the suspects, Success Asiegbu ‘m’ confessed to having used the ATM card of one of the victims to withdraw the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand Naira having compelled the victim to disclose his PIN. The owner of one of the recovered Toyota corolla cars, Anthony Uchenna Okafor ‘m’ aged 32yrs of Umueze village Umunachi was killed by the assailants on 30th October 2022 at about 2000hrs while returning home from Nkpor.

Disclosing further of their achievements to the gentlemen of the press, CP Echng Echng said on another development, the police on 28th September 2022 at about 0200hrs one Mrs. Theresa Okeke ‘f’ aged 54yrs, an Accountant with National Population Commission, Awka was gruesomely murdered in her residence at No. 4 Umuziocha, Awka. Immediately after the case was reported, her stepson, Ekenedilichukwu Okeke ‘m’, aged 20yrs who slept in the same house with the deceased was arrested for interrogation. He claimed that armed robbers stormed their residence and killed his stepmother. 

However, after an intelligence-based interrogation, the CP said,  Ekenedilichukwu Okeke eventually confessed to the crime and named his accomplices.

Detectives from State CID Awka swiftly into action as they mobilized in search of the accomplices which led to the arrest of three additional suspects, namely; Peter Jideofor ‘m’ a.k.a Rider, aged 23yrs, Chukwuemeka Christopher ‘m’ aged 29yrs and Chisom Emmanuel Dike ‘m’ 22yrs. 

“They have all confessed to the crime and disclosed that it was the deceased’s stepson, Ekenedilichukwu Okeke ‘m’ who contracted them to come and kill the deceased to enable them to transfer the sum of one million Naira from her account, having known her phone password. The suspects will soon be charged in court.

“Also, on 28th September 2022 a 2-man gang of armed robbers who specialize in snatching shuttle buses around Ifite-Awka was apprehended They pretended to be passengers and boarded a shuttle bus belonging and driven by an INEC Staff, Mr. Osita Duruoha ‘m’ 43yrs. The duo boarded the shuttle bus at Ifite on the pretense that they were going to Isu-Anaocha on an agreed fare of three thousand Naira. 

On getting to Urum/Isu-anaocha road which is an Isolated area, it was gathered that the duo ordered the driver to stop and one of the suspects, Chinedu Malachi who was seated behind the driver used a rope to strangulate the driver from behind. 

Having strangled the driver to death, it was learned that they thereafter dumped the corpse of the deceased in a nearby bush and drove the shuttle bus to Enugu where they wanted to sell it but luck ran against them as police detectives from State CID were able to arrest the suspects in Enugu and the deceased shuttle bus was recovered. The suspects namely; Nwobodo Samuel Obumneme ‘m’ aged 26yrs, Malachi Chinedu Uzorchukwu ‘m’ 28yrs and Ifecchinachi Ogechukwu ‘m’, aged 28yrs have since confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court.

“In another development, on 7th September 2022, Police and National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency, NDLEA operatives while on patrol intercepted one Godwin Nwode living at Obosi Street Figge Onitsha, a search was conducted in his J5 bus, some quantities of drugs were found, also pump action guns, one double gun, 25 live cartridges, 13 gun bags and 3 cartridges bags were recovered. 

“The suspect confessed to the crime and has made useful statements that are helping the police in the ongoing investigation, while the suspect has been charged to court and is presently on remand at a correctional center in Anambra State”. The CP handed it down.

On vandalization of public property, the Anambra State number one policeman said the command under his watch in collaboration with vigilante groups of the state was able to arrest four suspects for vandalizing and stealing EEDC equipment from Nsugbe town and Nza village Ozubulu Areas respectively.

The suspected vandals, according to the CP conspired among themselves and vandalized the EEDC equipment in these areas and stole them to sell at giveaway police. “They were arrested with the same quantity of vandalized cable wires which were showcased for media practitioners. The incidents happened on 12th November 2022 and 28th October 2022 respectively.

Warning all criminals to vacate the space of Anambra State or meet their Waterlow, the state police boss boasted that the state police command is fully prepared to deal decisively with any recalcitrant criminal in the state, he, however, told the law-abiding citizens to go about their lawful businesses and give prompt information about criminal activities within their domain to the law enforcement agencies.