A team of crack detectives led by SP Alphonsus Ayang, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Ndiegoro Police Division (Cameroun Barracks), has arrested a burglary gang said to be responsible for numerous break-ins within Aba.
SP Ayang team of crack detectives arrested two persons suspected to be the ring leaders of the gang after painstaking monitoring of the gang said to responsible for break-ins in warehouses, stores and super markets in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State.
After change of leadership at the Ndiegoro Police Division which saw SP Alphonsus Ayang, former DPO of Obehie Police Division and immediate past 2IC to Aba Area Commander, Peter Okpara, numerous positive changes have arrived with him at the one notable notorious Police Division.
Aba City Blog gathered that the arrested duo whose names were given as, Nkemakolam Ibe (46) from Nkwerre, Imo State and Uche Mathias (45) from Obehie, in Ukwa West LGA of Abia State, were nabbed while perpetrating burglary in a warehouse in Aba main town with other three members of the gang now at large.
A police source at Aba Area Command Headquarters told our reporter that the arrest of Ibe and Mathias became possible after the state Commissioner of Police, Ene Okon charged all DPO’s that no form of undetected crime in their jurisdiction within the Christmas will be tolerated.
The source said that the Aba Command had noticed a rise in the number of break-ins at many business premises and instructed all the eight DPO’s under it to monitor, track and get the hoodlums arrested.
Night burglary has been the biggest problems for many importers and traders who own warehouses in the Aba business community, as several break-ins in have reportedly taken most importers out of business and left many traders perpetually indebted.
Aba City Blog gathered that luck ran out on Ibe and Mathias when the team of crack detectives from Ndiegoro Police Division who has been monitoring their burglary activities unknown to them for sometime, through intelligent gathered, got them arrested in one of their night burglary spree.
It was however learnt that their arrest came few days after they successfully broke into three warehouses located at Pound Road by East Street, Jubilee Road by Mosque Street and also at Jubilee Road by George’s Street where they carted away assorted textile materials, foreign wines and energy drinks worth millions of naira.
Aba City Blog gathered that the SP Ayang led team of crack detectives also discovered and raided the gang’s two different safe houses at Umule Road and Factory Road, where textile materials, wines and energy drinks stolen where kept and stored for further distribution to their numerous buyers who were said to be outside the state.
The Ndiegoro DPO’s team of crack detectives also recovered two vehicles: a Toyota Jeep with number plate, Lagos AKD 270 DA and a Peugeot J5 van with number plate, Abia EZA 365 YF and one industrial cutter used by the gang for conveying of stolen goods and break-in into warehouses.
With many importers and traders celebrating the Christmas and New Year in their various country homes, our reporter who went round areas with many warehouses like Ehi Road, Market Road, St Michael’s Road, Hospital Road, Jubilee Road and Azikiwe Road reports that the arrest of the serial night burglars is a hot topic amongst the remaining warehouse owners yet to travel.
One of them who spoke to Aba City Blog anonymously describe the arrest of the gang as victory for the entire Aba business community, stressing that they have lost goods worth hundreds of millions to burglars.
“When I heard about the arrest I was happy. It seems God wants to help us recover from our loses in 2019. I don’t know if the group arrested are the only people involved in the burglary activities going on in Aba.
“But with what I learnt were recovered by the police at Cameroun Barracks which was said to be on few operations carried out, I have no doubt that a top gang if not the worst have been smashed.
“I pray and seriously hope we have burglary free business year in 2020 because those guys are heartless. They can make a man fall overnight,” one of the importers said.
When contacted, Abia State Commissioner of Police, Ene Okon, confirmed the arrest of the men and said that they will be arraigned in court soon.
In his words, “Yes, some serial burglars that have been burgling peoples shops and other places were arrested and as soon as the new year comes, we’re are arraigning them in court.”
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