Fred Harrison, Abuja
The Abia State Police Command has rounded off a 10 man-gang of armed robbers who participated in the alleged robbery of a bullion van on July 26 and made away with over N390 million.
The gang includes one Prosper, a dismissed operative of the Department of State Services who joined his brother in criminal activities after his dismissal from service.
The Commissioner of Police, Janet Agbede, said that the suspects belonged to a 14-member gang that specialised in bullion van robbery in different parts of the country.
She gave out their names as; “Adesoji Adeniyi, aka “Soji”, and Albert Nwachukwu, aka “White”, arrested in Lagos State; Felix Ajalaja, Moshood Opeyemi, aka “Abiola”, and Azubuike Amaefule, aka “Zubby”, arrested in Rivers.
“The rest were Nnamdi Nwaosu, aka “Prophet”, Monday Samuel, aka “MD”, and Matthew Christmas, aka “Aluwa”, arrested in Imo, Ondo and Delta, respectively.
“Other suspects were two brothers from Abia, Chikwendu and Prosper Israel, who were arrested in Abia.” She stated.
According to her, the gang members were picked up at different locations and days in Abia, Delta, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Imo States, respectively.
On parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Umuahia on Monday, Agbede stated that the arrest was made possible by “a special intelligence, technologically-led investigation squad”.
She added that the squad that went for their arrest was set up after their attack on July, which occurred at Ntigha Junction on the Isialangwa axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
“I carefully studied their modus operandi and set up a special intelligence, technologically-led investigation squad, with a clear directive to arrest and recover weapons used by the deadly armed gang. Consequently, the squad systematically commenced operation, applying speed and accuracy.” Agbede said
She explained that the effort of the squad led to the arrest of the suspects at different locations and days.
According to Agbede, the suspects had confessed to their crimes “in their individual voluntary statements.”
She disclosed further that the suspects confessed to have robbed bullion vans in Ajah in Lagos, Akure Road in Ondo State, Asaba and Mbaise in Imo.
Agbede said that the suspects confessed that the Abia attack took them two months of surveillance before they executed the attack on the bullion van.
Items and weapons recovered from the suspects include “one General Purpose Machine Gun with 53 rounds of live ammunition, 13 AK47 rifles with 1,749 live ammunition, two improvised explosive dynamites.
“Others were one Cut-to-size double barrel gun with five live cartridges and 84 AK47 magazines. The operatives also impounded a Mercedes Benz truck allegedly used by the gang to conceal their firearms.”
The Police stated that they also recovered N10, 184,000 from the suspects out of the N390 million allegedly stolen from the bullion van.
The CP said that investigation was still in progress to ensure the arrest of other members of the gang who are still at large.
In July, the affected bullion van was conveying cash from a bank in Aba to Umuahia, when it ran into a blockade mounted by the robbers.
Police confirmed that the robbers shot and killed the bank’s Cash Officer, while three of the escort policemen sustained bullet injuries.
According to the police, one of the gunmen was killed during the gun battle that ensued.
Meanwhile, Agbede has appealed to Abia residents to continue to assist the command with useful and timely information to enable it take proactive steps in fighting crime.
According to her, the command had devised strategies to restore adequate security in Umunneochi and other parts of Abia State that had become notorious for kidnapping and banditry.
