Police operatives serving in different Divisions of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested six suspects for different offences.
The suspects were arrested over their involvement in the one-chance robbery, unlawful possession and peddling of cocaine, stealing of a motor vehicle battery, a tricycle and a church organ keyboard.
Two tricycles, one motor vehicle battery, one organ keyboard, wraps of substances suspected to be cocaine and quantities of weeds suspected to be “Ghana Loud” were recovered from the suspects.
It was gathered that the operatives serving in the Independence Layout Police Division of the Command, working with law-abiding citizens, had on April 18, 2024, around 10 a.m., arrested one Edeh Chibuike, aged 44, and recovered a yellow-coloured Bajaj tricycle with registration number NSK 218 QA.
A statement from the police spokesperson in Enugu, Daniel Ndukwe, which confirmed the arrest, disclosed that the suspect and his cohorts who escaped, operating in the recovered tricycle, were alleged to have robbed their female victim and passenger of her iPhone and Bank’s ATM Card at Nwakanwa Street, Independence Layout, Enugu.
“The suspect and gang members were given a hot chase by law-abiding citizens, which caused their ‘keke’ to skid off the road into a fence, leading to his arrest while others escaped.
“The suspect confessed to the crime, stating that his criminal gang has been in the business of “one-chance” robbery and fraud on unsuspecting victims within Enugu metropolis.”
Similarly, Ndukwe added that the same operatives, on April 17, 2024, around 4 p.m., arrested one Supuruchukwu Udeozor of Power-line near New Artisan, Enugu, and recovered a suspected stolen blue-coloured tricycle (keke) with Reg No. UWN 132 VK and Fleet No. EBS/TRO 1555.
The police image maker disclosed that on interrogation, the suspect claimed his male cohort at large brought the ‘keke’ to his car wash stand at New Artisan, Enugu and that he took and hid it, where it was recovered in a compound at New Haven, Enugu.
“In a related development, the same operatives serving in Independence Layout Division, acting on credible information, on April 15, 2023, around 9 a.m., arrested one Chukwuemeka Emmanuel ‘m’ aged 30, of Sunrise Estate Emene, and recovered a Johannus Organ Keyboard valued at five million Naira (N5,000,000.00).
“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to having stolen the keyboard from a parked vehicle in a church (name withheld) at 2nd Avenue, Independence Layout, Enugu, and was on his way to sell it before he was arrested,” Ndukwe said.
In a different development, operatives serving in the New Haven Police Division of the Enugu State Command, while on routine visibility patrol duty on April 17, 2024, separately arrested Umaru Abdul “m” aged 20, and Izuchukwu Njoku “m” aged 36.
Wraps of substances suspected to be cocaine were recovered from Umaru Abdul, while wraps of weeds suspected to be “Ghana Loud” were recovered from Izuchukwu Njoku.
Ndukwe said upon arrest, both suspects confessed to peddling illicit substances within Enugu metropolis.
“In another development, police operatives serving in Central Police Station (CPS) Enugu, on April 17, 2024, arrested one Ani Arinze “m” aged 33, of Zone 7, Obed Camp, Coal Camp, Enugu, and recovered a master key and a stolen motor vehicle battery from him.”
Ndukwe noted that the suspect, a notorious motor battery thief, confessed to the crime while narrating how he successfully used the master key to open a vehicle at his mentioned address and stole the battery therein.
“He also confessed to having repeatedly committed the same act in the area and beyond,” he added.
He said that the suspects will be arraigned and prosecuted once investigations are concluded.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu commended the operatives and the law-abiding citizens for making the operational breakthroughs possible.
“He reaffirmed the commitment of the police to remain focused on flushing diehard criminals and their activities out of Enugu State while soliciting the continued support of all and sundry,” the statement stated.
