Collins Ugwu, a Deputy Superintendent of Prisons has been arrested in Enugu State over his alleged involvement in armed robbery. Ugwu, serving with the Nigerian Prisons Service in Abuja, is from Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Police also arrested two suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over the recent bombing of Ukehe residence of Chief John Nnia Nwodo, President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo. They were among the eight criminal suspects paraded by the Commissioner of Police in Enugu, Danmallam Mohammed.
Their names were given as Ekene Okechukwu, 30, from Ubahu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, and Alagba Gabriel, 35, from Mgbo, in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Arrested alongside the senior prison official is Ifeanyi Ozor, a native of Abor in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, also residing in Abuja, and Osetu Smart of Agwa in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State. The suspects are said to be members of a syndicate, which specializes in monitoring bank customers.
“They trail them to a point where they can smartly force the door or the windscreen open with their instrument and steal the said amount.
They are also part of a syndicate that buys goods from traders and generate fake payment alert to the owner of the goods without him knowing,” the police boss disclosed.
When interviewed by journalists, Ekene denied sending the threat text message to Nwodo. He claimed to have lost his phone one month before the said threat text message was sent to the Ohanaeze president.
However, Alagba admitted threatening Nwodo via SMS, even as he confessed to being a member of IPOB. “I have never met Nwodo before. Just that I heard about him in Radio Biafra. They gave out his number there. So, I sent him a text warning him to leave Biafra alone or I will deal with him,” he said, however, denying attacking Nwodo’s house.
