Abia: Police arrest 267 criminals, recover 220 arms, rescue 15 kidnap victims

www.odogwublog.com reports that the Abia State Police Command says 134 suspected robbers, 29 child traffickers, 26 kidnappers, 24 cultists, 18 car snatchers, and 15 pipeline vandals had been arrested in the state in the past eight months.

Arrested also within the period under review according to police were eight fraudsters, seven burglars, four rapists, and two murders.

Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade who announced this while parading some suspects yesterday in Umuahia, also said 220 arms and ammunition, 40 vehicles, 15 motorcycles/ tricycles were recovered while 15 kidnap victims were also rescued.

Oyedabe who restated the commitment of officers and men of the command to deal decisively with criminals in the state said police were synergizing with other security agencies to rid the state of criminal - minded elements.

He later paraded suspected killers of four members of Abia State Vigilante security outfit ( a.k.a Bakassi Boys) who were gruesomely murdered  by armed men in Aba in February 2017.

The suspects- Chimezie Ezeigbo alias ' Landlord' ; and Emeka Ukaegbu ( a.k.a Small Pin)-  were arrested following a tip off after they had abducted a banker in Aba.

Police said the suspects were arrested in the bush while keeping guard over the kidnap victim while the victim's Toyota Siena car, as well as one pump action riffle and nine live ammunition were recovered from them.

Paraded also was another kidnap suspect, one Salisu Ibrahim who was arrested after his gang had abducted a hotel manager in Umuahia.

According to police, operatives of 'D7  anti- kidnap team' while on patrol, intercepted a blue Volkswagen Sharan van whose occupants on sighting the police vehicle jumped out and took to their heels.

Police said after closer observation and inspection of the abandoned car, the proprietor  of a popular guest house in Umuahia, Chief Jacob Kalu was discovered inside the car boot.

Paraded also was one Charles Uzodinma, the suspected ring leader of a kidnap gang which abducted a 90- year old Pa Jeremiah Adindu, father of former Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, Mr. Godwin Adindu.

The nonagenarian was on March 28 rescued inside the bush between Obingwa and Osisioma by the collaborative efforts of the police, local vigilante and hunters in the area.

Similarly, police paraded an alleged  serial pedophile, Daniel Emeka, 51,  who allegedly "lures under- aged boys to his hotel room in Aba where he rapes them".

Police said the victim's mother, ( names withheld) had reported about the sudden disappearance of her son following which intelligence report led to the arrest of the suspect.

Later in an interview, the 12- year old victim, said he was lured into the hotel where the suspect lodged by another boy who acted as the man's agent.

He said the suspect who pretended to be a business man from Lagos delayed him until late in the night and persuaded him to pass the night with him in the hotel together with the other boy who posed as his son.

" Around midnight he woke me up and used me", the victim mumbled.

The mother of the victim said the suspect was using agents  to lure innocent boys before defiling  them.

There was however a mild drama as the suspect who first claimed to have hailed from Asaga Ohafia later confessed he is a native of Ugwunagbo after he was asked to speak Ohafia dialect by one of the newsmen but he could not.

He later confessed that he married from Ohafia but claimed innocent of the allegations against him.