Police In Enugu Nab Over 20 Robbery Suspects

By IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

The Enugu state police Command on Tuesday paraded over 20 armed robbery suspects, including two members of a notorious syndicate gang that specialises in tricycle snatching in Enugu state and its environs.

The two suspects, were alleged to be among those who killed some tricycle operators whose decomposing bodies were found in an uncompleted church building along the Enugu Port Harcourt express way about two months ago.

Briefing newsmen at the command’s headquarters on its major breakthrough,the commissioner of police in charge of the state, Nwodibo Ekechukwu,gave the names of the syndicate as kennedy Ihunegbo and Nonso Azubuike.

He said they managed to escaped a similar case at keffi in Nasarawa state and relocated to Enugu in early January,2016.

The commissioner stated that the two suspects,initially engaged in crimes of killing commercial motorcycles riders in Abuja, addin that in 2014, they spread their operations to Nasarawa state and had stolen dozens of motorcycles mainly in Ado area of the state.

According to the CP,the duo commenced operations in January 2016,by stopping and entering tricycles at gun point, along Ogui road,mosque area of Artisan and requesting the rider on each occasion to drop them at their purported building site at along Ugwuaji,off the Enugu-portHarcourt way.

“The modus operandi of the duo,was to asked each tricycle operator conveying them to drop them at their purported building site,normally in a lonely area.

“They would then requested the operator to carry blocs for them in the tricycle,to another location.

“The tricycle operator would be hit by them with a very big iron hammer on the head repeatedly as he bent to carry the bloc till he died.

“This was the method used in killing their seven victims on two dates each in january and march,2016 at various times of the days.

“In an instance the head of victims was shattered, the two would therefore take away the victim’s tricycle and sell it.

They forged a dealer’s receipt of DON investment limited Nnewi,to convince prospective buyers to purchase the tricycles.

“One mr. Emmanuel Ani of No.3 Muluakor street,Ogwogor,Abakpa Nike,Enugu and Oforbuike Eleke of Ngoigboukwu,Aguata,Anambra state,were among the respective buyers of the seven robbed tricycles,which were sold for between 250,000.00 and 350,000.00,at Enugu and Nnewi.

The Commissioner further disclosed that among the items recovered from the suspects are two of the seven robbed TVS tricycles,one ford car with registration No. AJ 656 EKJ,the big iron hammer used for killing their victims,a shovel for digging the shallow graves.

Explaining that the suspects were luring out non-Igbo speaking tricycle riders apparently to avoid the operators understanding their conversations in Igbo language.

He hinted that one of the suspects, Kennedy Ihunegbo took ill and was taken to Enugu state University Teaching Hospital parklane, “unfortunately he died while receiving treatment on the. 19th march,2016.

The suspect’s corps he said, has been deposited at the University of Nigeria teaching hospital mortuary,Ituku

“We will continue to make Enugu state very hostile for criminal elements” Ekechukwu vowed.