Police arrest 7 for killing trader, policeman in Enugu

The Police Command in Enugu State has arrested seven-man suspected notorious armed robbery gang disturbing peace of Enugu within one month.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer [PPRO], SP Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement on Saturday in Enugu that the suspects were arrested in Lagos, Awka, some parts of Ebonyi as well as Ezeagu and Enugu metropolis.

Amaraizu said that the feat was achieved by the Command’s operatives of Anti-Kidnapping Unit through painstaking intelligence operation.

He said that the highly specialized armed robbery gang had killed one Chinedu Nzegwu, a trader; a policeman at Obioma Street in Uwani, Enugu on Sept. 12 among others.

The PPRO said; “The arrested suspects gave their names as: Obunike Ugbene, 27, alias Paparazi, who is the ringleader of the gang, from Amaofiagu in Affa of Udi council area of the state but residing at Obinagu road Abakpa in Enugu.

“Kenneth Uchenna, 27, alias Madubuagu who is a highly skilled driver from Imezi Owa community in Enugu State;  Nkemdilim Mathew, 23, alias Alone from Nodu-Okpuno Awka of Anambra and Chukwuma Mbam,22, alias revolution from Ikwo in Ebonyi.

“Stanley Uchenna, 23, alias Posiga from Aguobuowa in Enugu State, who acts as informant for the gang; Chinedu Mbam,25, alias Nwaiboko from Izzi in Ebonyi and Okoli Patrick,33, alias Chika Tokor from Obunofia-Ndiuno Ezeagu in Enugu State’’.

Amaraizu said that the gang leader, Ugbene, had regretted the killings and prayed God to forgive him as he never intended to kill anyone but circumstance led him and the gang to do that.

He noted that the gang leader had confessed and revealed to police operatives their numerous operations, the locations where they had operated in the state and number of people that had killed so far.

“Through intelligence information, the gang leader was nabbed in Lagos by the operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit where he had escaped to and his arrest facilitated the arrest of other members of his gang,’’ he said.

Amaraizu noted that the gang leader, Ugbene, while regretting his action, advised youths to desist from involvement in any criminal activities as “there is no peace for any criminal and no matter what, he must be caught’’.

Meanwhile, state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Danmallam, has applauded efforts of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and assured that the command in partnership with sister security agencies will ensure that peace and security in the state is sustained. Danmallam maintained that the command would keep on being proactive in-line with the tenets of community oriented policing; while any crime committed must be followed and suspect or suspects must be unmasked.