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Tag: suspected criminals

  • Police parades suspected criminals, Child traffickers in Abia

    Police parades suspected criminals, Child traffickers in Abia

    The Abia state Commissioner of Police (CP) Michael Ogbizi has paraded three different gangs of suspected armed robbers, kidnappers and child traffickers who have been terrorizing the state for a long time.

    Speaking while parading the suspects in Umuahia, CP Ogbizi said that one of the gangs led by Stanley Ifeanyi were arrested in Aba with police uniforms, police bullet proof vest, Ak 47 rifle, one single barrel long gun, one locally made pistol among others.

    Ogbizi said that the gang has been terrorizing the people of Aba for a long time and that the police have been on their trail when luck ran against them leading to their arrest.

    He said that the command is out to arrest people of such character and make the state free for people to come in and invest, assuring the residents of the state of their security and their property at all times.

    When The Nation questioned Ifeanyi, he said he bought the police materials from one police man at Uyo in Akwa Ibom state at the cost N20, 000, “I have never robbed with police uniform before but I bought them to use them to rob”.

    The next gang the CP paraded were those who waylaid the family of Bar James Kwubiri Okpara the state commissioner for Housing while on their way back from a trip abroad.

    Ogbizi said that the robbers robbed them of all their valuables, “Since the incident we have been after them as we are determined to ensure that armed robbery and such incidents are completely reduced to the barest minimum in the state”.

    He said that the three man gang who waylaid the commissioner’s family have been terrorizing the people of Abayi and Osisioma areas of Aba, “With the rest of this notorious gang of armed robbers the residents of these areas can now sleep with their two eyes closed”.

    The Abia police boss also paraded a notorious child trafficker known as simply as Nma, who has been under police surveillance for years now, saying that when the police raided her place that 13 under aged pregnant girls were rescued.

    Ogbizi said that the girls were in various stages of pregnancy and were malnourished, stressing that since their were rescued that the state government in conjunction with the police have been taking care of their feeding and medical bills.

    He said that Nma would be charged for murder, child trafficking and kidnapping, “She may have been evading arrest and prosecution for a long time but this time it will no longer be business as usual as she will be made to face the full wrath of the law”.

    In her reaction, Nma said that she has been in the business of running a maternity home at her Isiala Ngwa North council area for the past seven years and denied selling children born in her maternity.

    Nma said that she is a registered nurse and those girls are always brought to her place by those who want to help them, “Whenever they come I always ask them to bring their guardians before they are taken in”.

  • Tension as military raids Bayelsa community for arms, criminals 

    Tension as military raids Bayelsa community for arms, criminals 

    There was tension in Peremabiri community, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, following a raid conducted by the military to mop up arms and flush out suspected criminals in the area.

    It was gathered that the military acted on intelligence that pirates and militants were hiding in the community and using some houses to stockpile arms and ammunition.

    Some women from the community were said to have earlier staged a protest to stop what they perceived as an invasion but later withdrew and allowed the soldiers to carry out their operation

    An elderly resident said a team of soldiers stormed his house saying they were  looking for guns.

    “They surrendered me and asked me to show them where guns were hidden in my house. I told them I had no guns. But they ransacked my house and later left for other places”, the source, who spoke in confidence said.

    It was not, however, clear the number of arms and ammunition recovered from the exercise as well as the number of the people arrested by the soldiers.

    But the people of Peremabiri said the effort by the military to flush out criminals and clear arms from their community was a welcome development.

    They commended the Federal Government for coming to free them from the hands of a suspected notorious criminal gang terrorizing their community.

    They said the action of the military had enabled them to breathe the air of freedom again claiming that the gang held them captive for so long.

    The indigenes under the aegis of Peremabiri Development Association (PDA), in a communique issued after their emergency meeting in Yenagoa, said the gang was led by an ex-militant.

    They complained that the ex-militant was trying to impose an unpopular leadership on them.

    The indigenes in the communique reportedly signed by the Chairman of PDA, ‎Chief Awolowo Wasiri; Secretary, Chief Profit Enoch and Publicity Secretary, Alfred Ikiomoye Olotu thanked the government for earlier arresting some of the suspects ‎and arraigning them before a competent court.

    They called on the security agencies to apprehend the criminal elements fleeing the community to permanently resolve the constant unrest in the area.

    They explained that the women, who staged a protest because of the intervention by the military acted out of fear.

    The statement reportedly said: “We are in support of the routine operation which took place in our community. Our joy is full because we have been living in bondage for so long. This has affected our lives as we live in fear everyday..

    “The intervention has brought some relaxation in our community as we now move freely. We are excited because if not for the action of the military, they would have imposed an unpopular man as our paramount ruler.

    “We have confidence in the federal government and so we appeal to them to go after the rest members of the gang to ensure that they never return to our community. Those women who protested did so because they were forced and not out of any loyalty”.

     

  • Suspected criminals set family house ablaze, kill 3 in Rivers

    Unidentified criminals  believed to be cultists have set ablaze a family house at Okpako-Ejemah in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State killing Alhaji Hamza Garuba, his wife and a stepson.

    Mr. Muhammed Sani, younger brother to Garuba,  told The Nation  that the arsonists, five in number, invaded his brother’s house at about 10.00p.m.on  Tuesday  and attempted to rob the family.

    Sani said the bandits had attempted to rape Garuba’s wife, but the deceased stabbed one of the bandits to death.

    He said: “I believed the stabbing of that criminal may have infuriated other gang members who quickly ran out of the house, locked the entrance door and set the house ablaze. My brother, his wife and a stepson were locked up inside the house while the house was on fire. Nobody was at hand to rescue them as all of them were burnt beyond recognition.”

    Public Relations Officer of Nnamdi Omoni confirmed the incident and added that two persons have been arrested over the arson.

    The Arewa Consultative Forum, Southsouth, Southeast branch condemned the killing and warned that mischief makers wanted to cause disunity among Hausa community and the people of Eleme.

    The Coordinator of the body, Alhaji Musa Saidu, noted that Garuba was killed by bandits, adding: “The incident at Okpako-Ejemah was a clear case of robbery and arsonist attack. The Young man and his family were killed by arsonist who set their house ablaze. Hausa people have co-habited with their host community and they don’t have any issue.”

  • Police parades suspected criminals, busts 419 syndicate in Abia

    Police parades suspected criminals, busts 419 syndicate in Abia

    The Abia State Police Command has paraded suspected criminals including two young men who have been terrorizing residents of Federal Low Cost Housing Estate Umuahia, the state capital.

    Speaking while parading the suspects in Umuahia, the Commissioner of Police (CP) Leye Oyebade, said that the suspects had ransacked the shop of one Emeka Aharaumunna at the same estate and carted away six generating plants valued at N450,000.

    Oyebade said that luck ran out on them as they on Tuesday 21/03/2017 at about 0130hrs, the hoodlums stormed the house of one Pastor Gabriel Nwankwo of the same estate and fired some shots in an attempt to break into his house for robbery.

    He said that the two men, Obinna Anyanwu and Chinedu Awa on March 16 and 17 2017 raided the house of one Mrs Beatrice Okpi at the Low Cost Housing Estate Umuahia.

    The CO said, “For two consecutive days they parked every item of clothing and kitchen utensils belonging to the woman who was staying alone at the time of the raid”.

    “But luck ran out of them when on a serial attack raided the house of one Uche Jonathan of the same estate and robbed him of two wielding machines valued at N46, 000.00 when vigilant neighbors alerted my men”.

    Oyebade said that the duo were arrested following the intervention of the neighbourhood watch who apprehended and handed them to the police where they confessed that they had moved the items of the earlier robbery at Mrs Okpi’s house to Ohafia where their ringleader resides.

    He said that items recovered include, glass table, one Tiger generating plant, two bed mattresses, one television set Two DVD, among other household properties.

    In an interview with The Nation, Obinna, from Mpam, Ahiazu Mbaise, Imo State, confessed to committing the crime saying that he was introduced by a friend by name Flex.

    He said he has been involved in robbery operation five times, however Chinedu Awa alias Pastor, from Ndi Uduma Awoke, Ohafia LGA Abia State, said he was not part of the robbery but bought some of the stolen items.

    The Abia CP also paraded a two man gang of a notorious “419” syndicate popularly known as “One Chance” which specialises in picking unsuspecting passengers to an unknown destination where they are defrauded of  their possessions.

    Oyebade said that they were intercepted by vigilant members of the public while attempting to pick some unsuspecting victims at Owerri by Kaduna Street Umuahia.

    Oyebade gave their names as Lucky Nwokocha from Ntigha in Isialangwa North council of Abia State; and Mrs. Rekiyat Sunday who said she hails from Ibila in Ankpa, Kogi State.

    The CP said that one Volkswagen Vento Saloon car marked Rivers PBT 422 DT used by the syndicate as operational vehicle was recovered in the process and that efforts is in progress to arrest other members of the gang and their sponsors.

    In an interview, one of the suspects, Nwokocha, 23, confessed to the crime but said he was introduced to the act by those who defrauded him of N300,000 he wanted to use and sponsor the burial of his late father who died last year.

    Nwokocha narrated that he had innocently boarded a taxi operated by the syndicate who defrauded him of the burial money he wanted to use to bury his late father, after which they later encouraged him to join them.

    Similarly, the other suspect, Mrs. Sunday said she joined the syndicate in January after the death of her late husband, a solder, adding that she has no one to help her and her children.

    The mother of eight said it was Nwokocha who she identified as her class mate in one of the schools in the state capital that “converted” her to the group, stressing that because of her financial predicament she had no choice than to join them.

    On how they operate Mrs Sunday said that she would pose as a passenger  escaping with a bag load of money belonging to her master and looking for a native doctor that would neutralise the effects of charms allegedly placed on the money by her master.

    She said greedy and gullible persons usually fall for the pranks even though they also cast spell on them, adding that once the person falls victim they the rest becomes history.

     

  • Police parade 42 suspected criminals

    Police parade 42 suspected criminals

    The Kano State Police Command yesterday paraded 42 suspected criminals.

    They were arrested for offences, ranging from cattle theft to armed robbery.

    Police Commissioner Ibrahim Idris, who addressed reporters at the headquarters in Bompai, said Yahaya Sale, 30, of Soba in Hunkyi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, with a 10-man gang, at Falgore forest in Kano, attacked people and stole domestic animals.

    He said investigation showed that the suspects were rustlers, adding that during an operation, three members of the syndicate were arrested and later arraigned.

    According to him, one of the rustlers was killed during an encounter with the police and many of them were still in the forest.

    Idris said a gang of six hoodlums led by a woman, Hauwa Mustapha, robbed a victim at Dambare quarters of N147,000, a Mercedes Benz car and other belongings.

    He said the suspects were arrested in Jos, Plateau State and upon a search, two locally-made pistols, nine ammunition and a knife were recovered from them, adding that their accomplice was at large.

    The police commissioner said officers and men attached to SARS CID, Kano, while on patrol on Zaria Road, arrested Zubairu Garba and Sunday Jatau of Kaduna State, who terrorised travellers on the Zaria/Kaduna Expressway by wearing police uniform, robbing motorists.