•••AS ABIA POLICE COMMAND RESCUES MAIN SUSPECT FROM MOB
Osisioma Police Division of the Abia State Police Command has arrested seven public electric power supply equipment vandals, two days after two other young men were arrested in Aba, Abia State.
The suspects were apprehended for vandalizing public electric power supply equipment and stealing distribution transformer components in the city and its environs.
The police released the names of the four youths as; Chinonso Okwudire, Alozie Uguru, Ikenna Ebere and Chinemerem Okechi.
Others are Chibuike Nzeoji, Chidera Uche and Ibrahim Aliyu.
Air Commodore Ojiude (retired), the chief security officer of Geometric Power, which owns Aba Power Limited, confirmed the names and the incident.
“The most notorious of them is Chinonso Okwudire, a 19-year old boy from Umuojima, Osisioma”, Air Commodore Udeoji told newsmen in Aba, on Monday.
According to him, Okwudire was arrested while stealing sensitive and costly materials at the Umuode Substation of the Aba Power which is in Osisioma Industrial Layout.
The Chief security officer of Geometric Power Company, explained that the youths in the area had long known of Okwudire’s involment in the stealing of power distribution infrastructure.
He said that the suspect specialises in stealing copper wire and armoured cables, which he would sell at rock-bottom prices to electricity equipment traders and companies that needed them.
“The youths had, therefore, been watching him closely, and when he was this time vandalizing the substation supplying power to even his own community they apprehended him, with his finger firmly in the cookie jar”. He said.
The Network gathered that some of the youths were irked by the suspect’s dubious character and decided to beat him mercilessly.
The police at the Osisioma Police Division,
was fast to attempt to rescue the suspect from the mob who had wanted to lynch him.
It was gathered that the police on hearing about mob action on somebody deployed a team of four operatives who stormed the scene of the crime but were overwhelmed by the irate youths in their numbers who beat Okwudire thoroughly.
“Still, the police gallantly managed to save him.
“They will prosecute not just Okwudire but also all six persons arrested in different parts of the state for vandalizing critical public utility assets.
“In addition, they police will prosecute two other thieves whose arrests had earlier been reported.
“They will prosecute 20-year old Desmond Nkanangnoi from Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State who was caught by the youth in Umuahala, Obehe in Ukwa West LGA while stealing parts of the transformer supplying power to the place, as well as 26- year old Nnamdi Nwobilor from Mgboko in Okpu-Umuobe in Osisioma who was committing the same offence when he was apprehended.
“The police are working effectively with both Geometric Power and Aba Power to tame and soon end completely the incidence of stealing of critical infrastructure which supplies electricity to hospitals, laboratories, factories, offices and individuals in nine out of the 17 local government areas in Abia State.
“Aba and environs must regain their pride of place as the capital of indigenous technology and industrialization in Nigeria”. Air Commodore Ojiude said.