- Agency Report
The Police Command in Enugu state has smashed an armed robbery and mini-truck snatching syndicate.
The feat was achieved by the police operatives attached to the Ozalla Police Division, in collaboration with Neighbourhood Watch personnel on Sunday.
The Command’s Spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu said that one male suspect, Chinedu Onwuka, 35, has been detained in connection with the incidence.
“The operatives also rescued a male victim, who had been tied to a tree in the bush, and recovered his Daihatsu Hijet mini truck, locally known as “Diana”, which the suspect and his fleeing accomplices had stolen at gunpoint.
“The suspect and his gang had hired the driver to transport bags of sand from the Ogbete area of Enugu metropolis to Umuatuaboma in Nkanu West Local Government Area.
“However, along the Umuatuaboma–Obuofia Road, they diverted the vehicle into a bush at gunpoint, tied the driver to a tree, and fled with the truck.
“A prompt response by the operatives led to the arrest of the suspect, while others escaped,” he said.
The spokesman said that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and admitted to participating in a similar operation in April.
He added that the suspect confessed to being paid ₦90,000 as proceeds from the sale of another snatched mini truck.
“Investigations are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects,” he said.
Ndukwe said that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Giwa, had reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering resolve to clamp down on unrepentant criminals of the state.
He urged mini truck and other types of truck operators to remain vigilant and cautious about whom they accept conveyance jobs from and their destinations. NAN