Crime
Bullion Van Robbery: Police arrest 10 suspects in Abia
The Abia Police Command has arrested 10 members of a dare-devil robbery gang that allegedly robbed a bullion van on July 26 and carted away about N390 million.
The Commissioner of Police in Abia, 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 said that they were arrested at different times and locations in Abia, Delta, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Imo.
Parading the suspects before newsmen at the command’s headquarters in Umuahia on Monday, she said that the arrest was made possible by “a special intelligence, technologically-led investigation squad”.
She said that the squad was set up in the aftermath of the July attack, which occurred at Ntigha Junction on the Isialangwa axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
In her words, “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.”
According to her, the effort of the squad led to the arrest of the suspects at different locations and days.
Agbede said that the suspects confessed to the crime “in their individual voluntary statements.”
She also said that the suspects confessed to having robbed bullion vans in Ajah in Lagos, Akure Road in Ondo State, Asaba in Delta and Mbaise in Imo.
She said the suspects confessed that the Abia attack was executed after they successfully mounted about two months of surveillance on the bullion van.
The suspects included Adesoji Adeniyi, aka “Soji”, and Albert Nwachukwu, aka “White”, arrested in Lagos State.
Others were 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.
Prosper told newsmen that he joined his brother in criminal activities after he was dismissed from the Department of State Services.
Weapons recovered from the suspects included one General Purpose Machine Gun with 53 rounds of live ammunition, 13 AK-47 Rifles with 1,749 live ammunition, and two improvised explosives dynamite.
Others were one Cut-to-size double barrel gun with five live cartridges and 84 AK-47 magazines.
The operatives also impounded a Mercedes Benz truck allegedly used by the gang to conceal their firearms.
They also recovered N10,184,000 from the suspects out of the N390 million allegedly stolen from the bullion van.
The state police chief said that investigation was still in progress to ensure the arrest of other members of the gang still at large.
According to reports, the affected bullion van was conveying cash from a bank in Aba to Umuahia when it reportedly 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.
They also confirmed that one of the gunmen was neutralised 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 to take proactive steps in fighting crime.
(NAN)
Bullion Van Robbery: Police arrest 10 suspects in Abia
The Anambra State Police Command has foiled a cult initiation ceremony in Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesperson for the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Awka.
According to Ikenga, the operation was carried out by police operatives around 9:30am on June 15, leading to the arrest of six suspects at the scene.
Recovered during the raid were one Jojef pump action gun, two cartridges, and a golden-coloured Lexus SUV with registration number ATN 202 AE. Other items found include two cutlasses, two scissors, a cap bearing the inscription of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, charms, and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
“They are currently undergoing police interrogation to get more insight into their modus operandi, after which the case will be charged to court on the conclusion of the investigations,” Ikenga stated.
The police spokesperson reassured residents of the command’s unwavering commitment to fighting cultism and other related crimes across the state.
An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Wednesday, remanded two persons, Olaitan Fasasi and Kehinde Tobiloba in a correctional facility over alleged attempted murder.
Fasasi, 40, and Tobiloba, 26, whose addresses were not provided, are being charged with conspiracy, attempted murder and membership of a secret society.
The Magistrate, Mr L.A Owolabi, did not take the plea of the defendants for want of jurisdiction.
Owolabi directed the police to forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
He thereafter adjourned the case until May 31 for mention.
The Prosecutor, Josephine Ikhayere, told the court that the defendants committed the offences at about 5.02p.m on Feb. 15, at Mushin, Lagos.
She said that Fasasi, Tobiloba and others now at large, attempted to commit murder by shooting at a resident, Alfred Ademola.
“They armed themselves with a locally made gun. They belong to Eiye Confraternity, a group proscribed by law,”, she said.
Ikhayere said that the offences contravened Sections 230(1) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2012.
He said that the actions of the defendants also contravened Section 2(3)(a)(b)(c)(d) of the unlawful societies and Cultism Law of Lagos State Law.
An Area Court in Jos, on Tuesday, sentenced one Jeptha John, to three months imprisonment for stealing a Redmi mobile phone valued at N165, 000.
The judge, Shawomi Bokkos, sentenced the John after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
The judge, however, gave the convict an option to pay N20, 000 fine and N50, 000 restitution to the complainant.
Bokkos said that if the convict defaulted in paying the restitution, three months should be added to his sentence to make it six months imprisonment.
Earlier, the police prosecutor, Insp Monday Dabit, told the court that the case was reported at the B Division Police Station, Jos, on Dec. 1, 2024, by Ms Nerat Danjuma.
He said that the complainant alleged that the defendant trespassed into her house and stole her mobile phone valued at N165, 000.
The prosecutor further told the court that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code, Law of Northern Nigeria.
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