PRESS BRIEFING BY THE ABIA STATE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, CP ADELEYE O. OYEBADE ON 15TH JUNE, 2017, AT THE STATE POLICE HEADQUARTERS, UMUAHIA.
The Abia State Police Command under the leadership of CP. ‘Leye Oyebade in its continued determination to rid Abia State of crime and criminality, ensuring that crimes are nipped in the bud and perpetrators of heinous/violent crimes are put on check has within the period under review, recorded various achievements through the implementation of its identified crime fighting strategies. Here-under are some of our achievements within the period:
1 ARREST OF SUSPECTED ARMED ROBBERS / RECOVERY OF ARMS:
On 06/06/2017 at about 2100hrs, operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad attached to Area Command Umuahia on a tip-off, raided the houses of Ugochukwu Okereke ‘m’ of Umeremeze Village Nkwoegwu and Obilor Icha of Umueze road Umuahia, where they recovered one locally made pistol and a pump action rifle buried on the ground respectively. Investigation is in progress.
2 ARREST OF BURGLARS / RECOVERY OF SUMEC GENERATOR:
On 08/06/2017 at about 1300hrs, patrol team attached to Central Police Station Aba while on patrol along Aba Main Park, accosted the duo of Chibuike Nwoke 20yrs ‘m’ of Umuduruji Obohia Ahiazu Mbaise Imo State and Chukwuebuka Okafor 29yrs ‘m’ of Umuezechi Bende L.G.A Abia State, with a big Sumec Generating Set, which account they were not able to give. On interrogation, the suspects confessed to have burgled the house of one Emeka Ikeafuama (alias Tuma Wowowo) ‘m’ of Ahiazu Mbaise based in USA and have brought the generator to Aba for sale. Investigation is in progress.
3 RECOVERY OF SNATCHED VEHICLE:
On 09/06/2017 at about 0215hrs, men of Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) on patrol responding to a radio message from the control room, recovered one Toyota Lexus Jeep with reg. no. FST 202 ER, black in Colour which occupants abandoned during a hot chase by the CTU patrol team and ran into the bush at Agalaba Road in Osisioma. Effort is intensified toward the arrest of the fleeing hoodlums.
4 RECOVERY OF SNATCHED VEHICLES:
On 09/06/2017 at about 1220hrs, one Nissan Pathfinder Jeep with reg. no. ABM 297 FK, Navy Blue in colour, snatched from Pastor Chinonso James ‘m’ of Omoba by four armed men within the early hours of date was recovered by a patrol team attached to Omoba Division along with one Toyota Highlander Jeep with reg. no. WWR 275 SV suspected to be the operational vehicle of the hoodlums. Effort is in progress to arrest the suspects.
5 ARREST OF SUSPECTED ARMED ROBBER:
On 10/06/2017 at about 0530hrs, operatives attached to Ndiegoro Division arrested one Chidera Nwachukwu ‘m’ for stealing a Laptop belonging to one Jolly Ledesi of the Nigerian Army whose Military uniform, the suspect had sometime stolen and used in robbery incidents. It is apposite to state that the suspect had earlier escaped in a reported case of armed robbery, murder and personation sometime in March, 2017. Discreet investigation is on course.
6 ARREST OF CULTISTS / RECOVERY OF WEAPONS:
On 10/06/2017 at about 0900hrs, following a report at Area Command Aba, that from 2300hrs of 09/06/2017 to 0300hrs of 10/06/2017, cultists numbering up to 14 besieged a compound in Egbelu Street Aba with arms and axe. Consequent upon the report, operatives of Anti-Kidnapping Section attached to Area Command, Aba swung into action and arrested five (5) boys and two (2) girls, two locally made pistols and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp were recovered in the process. Suspects will be arraigned in Court as soon as investigation is concluded.
7 ARREST OF A FAKE SOLDIER:
On 12/06/2017, one Stephen ’m’ reported that he was robbed of his Gionee M2 phone valued N28,000.00, along Uzuakoli road, Umuahia on 11/06/2017 by three men and a lady, one of whom was dressed in military uniform. Based on the report, one Nwadi Paul was arrested by combined efforts of patrol teams of 28PMF and Central Police Station Umuahia. Subsequently, on 13/06/2017, the fake soldier identified as Okezie Chukwuebuka was arrested with one Gift Johnson, a female member of the gang and the following items were recovered from them: Two pairs of Army camouflage uniform, Two Itel phones, Cash sum of N23,000.00, UBA cheque leaves belonging to Uwajumogu Ikechukwu, Fidelity Bank and Skye Bank cheque leaves belonging to Eni Virginia Enyinnaya, One Peace Corps ID card for Nwadi Paul, One UBA ATM card belonging to John Oluchi, One Diamond Bank ATM card belonging to Paul Nwadi, Two wraps of weed suspected to be Indian hemp, Four passport photographs of Paul Nwadi, One voter’s card of Paul Nwadi. The suspects confessed being members of a gang terrorizing Umuahia residents and dispossessing them of their valuables. Suspects will soon be arraigned in court.
8 RECOVERY OF STOLEN VEHICLE:
On 13/06/2017 at about 1540hrs, Operatives attached to Ugwunagbo Division recovered one white Toyota Hilux van with reg. no. FKJ 853 BH in a bush at Umugwu Umuodo village, Ugwunagbo. Documents found inside the vehicle indicated that the Hilux van belong to one Colonel Orire Nikiro (rtd) and his phone number was also seen on the documents. The Officer was contacted through the phone number and he disclosed that the vehicle was removed from where it was parked on Sunday, 11th June, 2017 in Elimbi Rivers State. Investigation conducted so far has confirmed that the incident took place in Rivers State Command.
9 RESCUE OF HOSTAGE / RECOVERY OF ARMS AND AMMUNITION:
On 14/06/2017 at about 1030hrs, information was received that a notorious gang of kidnappers abducted a man later identified as Fredrick Osuya of Rainbow Feeds Nigeria Limited riding in a Black Toyota Corolla Car somewhere in Ogbor-Hill Aba. Consequent upon this, the Commander Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad Aba (FSARS) swung into action and led a team of operatives to Umuokeonyi village, Obingwa where the hostage was kept. The hoodlums on sighting the Police team, escaped into the bush and abandoned their hostage. An intensive search of the area, led to the recovery of one cut to size locally made double barrel gun, one locally made revolver gun and five live cartridges. Effort is on to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
10 ARREST OF ARMED ROBBERS / RECOVERY OF ROBBED ITEM:
On 13/06/2017 at about 0930hrs, one Chibuike Onyema ‘m’ 19 years and a rider of a motorcycle used in armed robbery operation on 19/05/2017 at BENVICK Filling Station Obehie was arrested by operatives of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad attached to Obehie Division. This was a follow up to the arrest of one Eziaha Joshua, 23years ‘m’ of Umuowa Ikpoku Ukwa West and a member of the three man gang on 03/06/2017 at about 1400hrs. The duo who are members of a three man gang, confessed to have robbed one Ezeudu Chinasa ‘f’ of BENVICK Filling Station of her Itel phone valued N180,000.00, one wrist watch and a bag containing one Holy Bible on 19/05/2017 armed with locally made pistol, kitchen knife and rode on a motorcycle.
The Itel GSM phone robbed from the victim has been recovered while effort is geared toward arresting the third suspect and recovering their weapon of operations.
11 RECOVERY OF STOLEN TRICYCLE (KEKE):
On 05/06/2017 at about 1200hrs, patrol team attached to Eziama Division on STOP and SEARCH duty at Omuma road Aba, intercepted one Chimankpa Uweregbu, 30years ‘m’ of Ikembara Ikeduru Imo State and resident at No. 3 Ihieorji Avenue Aba with a Tricycle bearing fleet no. AB/MOT/ABA 28561 suspected to have been stolen. The other occupant escaped on sighting the Police team while the operator was arrested. A master key was recovered from the suspect during a search on him while the owner, one Michael Jude ‘m’ of Degema Aba, when contacted disclosed that the tricycle was removed from where parked.
SIGNED:
DSP GEOFFERY OGBONNA,
POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
ABIA STATE COMMAND.
