Enugu State Police Command has arrested a dismissed soldier and seven other suspects over their involvement in inter-state criminal activities.
Members of the syndicate, alleged to specialise in armed robbery and financial fraud, were arrested with stolen items.
Spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed that the suspects were arrested through coordinated operations involving the Emene Division’s Crack and Octopus Tactical Squads, alongside the Neighbourhood Watch group.
He added that the combined efforts led to the arrest of eight male suspects and the recovery of firearms, ammunition, cash and other stolen items.
He gave the names of the arrested suspects as Ismaila Isah, 23; Sadik Ahmed (a dismissed soldier, 28); Abbas Usman, 33; Mubarak Garba, 24; Abubakar Haruna, 23; Abubakar Sani, 32; Obiri Chukwuebuka, 22 and Bright Omeniru, 22 years old.
Ndukwe added that two locally made pistols loaded with live and expended cartridges, and a cash of ₦300,450 were recovered from the suspects.
“Further recovered are ten laptops, land documents, ten mobile phones, assorted jewellery and watches, one MP3 player, one headphone, four power banks, two SIM cards, footwears and bags.
“The operation commenced on November 12, 2024, around 3:30am when operatives from the Emene Division, supported by Neighbourhood Watch members, responded to a distress call regarding an armed robbery at an estate in Emene.
“During the operation, Ismaila Isah was apprehended with one locally made pistol, the said ₦300,450 and some stolen items, while others escaped.
“Ismaila was later transferred to the Crack Tactical Squad for further investigation. His confessional statements and subsequent discreet investigations led to the arrest of Sadik Ahmed, Abbas Usman, Mubarak Garba, Abubakar Haruna and Abubakar Sani at their hideouts in New Garki, Awkunanaw, Enugu. Another locally made pistol and additional stolen items were recovered,” he stated.
The state PPRO added that operatives from the Octopus Tactical Squad subsequently utilised an intelligence report to arrest Obiri Chukwuebuka and Bright Omeniru in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Ndukwe averred that during interrogation, the suspects admitted to using phones stolen by the syndicate to fraudulently withdraw funds from victims’ bank accounts, adding that two SIM cards from different networks were also recovered.
“Investigations revealed that the suspects confessed to committing multiple armed robberies within the Enugu metropolis and using the victims’ mobile phones’ SIM cards to also commit acts of fraud.
“They further confessed to moving and selling the stolen proceeds in Imo and other states.
“The dismissed soldier, Sadik Ahmed, admitted to exploiting his background as a former security agent to bypass check points during the inter-state shipment of the stolen items.”
The statement assured that the suspects will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
