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From Ngozi Uwujare
Operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Imo State Police Command have arrested two suspected armed robbers and kidnappers caught in the act while donning police uniforms.
The suspects – Goodness Chinaza, 23, and Emeka Orji, 24, were said to have stolen police uniforms before kidnapping seven victims and robbing victims along Owerri/Onitsha Expressway and Owerri/Port-Harcourt Road.
The police said they stole vehicles of the robbed victims on the highway and six of them were involved in the killing of Naval officers, Army officer personnel on duty and police officers who were on duty. The suspects were arrested at Obudi Agwa in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.
Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Borde told Saturday Sun that the two suspects have kidnapped several victims within Owerri and Njaba axis and collected millions of naira from the victims’ relatives.
“I had to order the Commander, Anti-Kidnapping Squad Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa and his team to swing into action and storm the kidnappers’ hideout on July 31, 2022. They arrested one Goodness Chinaza, 23, residing at Aladinma Owerri, Imo State and the suspect confessed to being a member of a robbery gang operating in Owerri, Okigwe and Owerri/Elema Port-Harcourt Expressway. They had kidnapped over five victims and took them to their hideout. They collected a ransom of N2 million before they released the victims they held captive for four days,” the police boss said.
The Commander, Odeyeyiwa, a Superintendent of Police (SUPOL) said Chinaza led his team to arrest another gang member, Emeka Orji a.k.a. Coco, adding that another suspect, Julius Chigozie escaped. He said the two told the operatives where they concealed different stolen vehicles at Rapour Hotel, Amakoha, Owerri, Imo State, adding that the vehicles had been recovered.
Odeyeyiwa said the suspects also robbed a victim of his car on July 18, 2022, an ash coloured Lexus 330 SUV with registration number, RLU 08 ALT at gunpoint along Mbano Street, Aladinma, Owerri. He said the suspects forced the victim into the booth, took him to a lonely place and robbed him of all of his valuables. His cell phone was used by the suspects to transfer N100, 000 from his bank account to theirs, he recalled.
“The three suspects were residing in a quarter in Aladinma, Owerri where they broke into the apartment of a late police officer in the same quarter and stole his uniforms, bullet proof vests and other valuables and they started using same to rob innocent citizens,” Odeyeyiwa said.
He added that the same gang on July 3, 2022, while in police uniforms, robbed some innocent victims at Okeuduwa axis and kidnapped two victims. They took the victims to an uncompleted building in a bush and demanded a ransom of N2 million. He said his team had a gun battle with the suspects.
“They escaped and abandoned the victims at the uncompleted building in the bush. Earlier, on June 25, the same gang robbed some victims in a vehicle where they had mounted a checkpoint on Owerri/Onitsha Expressway. They then ran inside the bush. In the night of the same day, they came out and robbed some boys and girls who were going to a night club and collected their wristwatches, money and ATM cards. They followed the victims to collect their money at a POS stand. They withdrew N300, 000.
“On July 10, the same gang along Okigwe in Imo State robbed a family in their car. They took the man to the bush and asked him to call his relatives. They demanded N3 million. They tied his two hands and blindfolded him. It was when they were beating the victims that the vigilantes and local hunters in that axis were alerted and quickly responded. But the suspects escaped and abandoned one of their locally made pistols.
“Also on May 20, the same gang on Owerri/Elele Port-Harcourt Expressway robbed some victims who were travelling to Port-Harcourt. They posed like policemen at a checkpoint and in the process they hit the driver with a gun and marched the passengers into the bush and collected all their money and ATM cards. One of the victims escaped and alerted the policemen at the other checkpoint and immediately the suspects escaped from the scene.
“On August 10, six of their gang members who attacked the Agwa Police Division were arrested. They attacked the division and killed some policemen and went away with their ammunition. The suspects were arrested at Obudi Agwa while attempting to cause another mayhem in the axis. The hoodlums blocked the road along Obudi Agwa searching the occupants and checking their phones to identify policemen in the vehicle for possible abduction.
“The suspects arrested are Mmadukaji Moses, 30. He was wearing police operational vest suspected to be that of slain police officers in Agwa Police Station. Other suspects are Chigozie Amanyere, 21, of Amukpo Agwa; Ifeanyi Uche, 21, of Obudi Agwa; Uzoma Uche, 24; Sopunchi Ahumodu, 24, and Chukwuma Orji, 30. They are all under investigation,” Oyeyeyiwa said.
Odeyeyiwa further explained that his men also arrested the six suspects who killed two policemen and stole their Ak-47 rifles, “The suspects took us to their hideout in Agwa forest and we recovered some Ak-47 rifles and 30 rounds of cartridges. Also, the Anti-Kidnapping Operatives had an encounter with one of the gang members, Osita Ogburi a.k.a. Shina Rambo on July 27, 2022. He wanted to escape but was shot dead during the gun duel at his hideout between Abia and Cross River State. Ogburi and his gang members killed a Naval officer and police officer personnel in Imo State. He and his gang members were involved in several killings and kidnapping in Imo State. They have killed Army personnel, Naval personnel and Police personnel on duty. They operate within the Owerri axis and after killing the officers, they collected their AK-47 rifles and use them for kidnapping and armed robbery. They have threatened the peace of the state for the past two years before they were killed and some AK-47 rifles, pump action were recovered. Some of the gang members escaped after the death of their gang leader,” he said.
Goodness Chinaza, one of the suspects, told Saturday Sun that his gang had been into robbery and kidnapping for over two years. “We are a three-man gang, and we made small money from robbing people along the Owerri/Port Harcourt Expressway. We resided in a quarters in Aladinma, Owerri. One of our neighbours was a police officer. When we learnt he was dead, we broke into his apartment and stole his uniforms, bullet proof vests and other valuables. We wear the uniforms to carry out armed robberies and kidnappings. The late policemen rank was Inspector. We have some people in Imo State Police Command. We used the police uniform to rob several victims along Owerri/ Onitsha Expressway. We always posed as policemen on the highway using the uniform we stole. We blocked the road, checked vehicles as if we were genuine policemen. Once we see a flashy car, we stop the driver and request for the vehicle particulars. Later, we will drag him, kidnap and keep him in the booth of the car and zoom off to a safe place where we will rob him of all of his valuable items. We would later ask him to call his relatives for ransom usually in the sum of N2 million. The victim’s relatives would later pay N500,000 or N700,000. We had robbed several vehicles along Owerri/Onitsha Expressway. We collected their phones and their ATM card which we used to transfer their money into our account. Nobody ever suspected us that we were not policemen, as we behave like policemen. I never believed that police operatives could arrest us. But we have confessed to them,” he said.
Another suspect, Emeka Orji admitted that Chinaza and himself had robbed and kidnapped several people on the expressway. “We have robbed different cars like the Lexus 330, and many other cars at Rapour Hotel, Amakohia, Owerri, Imo State. We were eventually arrested by the police operatives,” he said.
One of the victims, Emeka Okechukwu recalled his experience with the kidnappers. “ I am from Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State. I am a businessman. I was robbed on July 3, 2022 when I was travelling to Onitsha to buy goods. It was early in the morning and the driver thought they were policemen at a checkpoint. They stopped our bus and told the driver to park. Suddenly, they brought their gun and immediately they collected our money, ATM cards while I transferred N500, 000 to them in order for them not to take my phone away.
“When they finished their operation, they abandoned us. I had to find my way to Onitsha because I wanted to buy goods. It was a serious drama at the checkpoint. I was shocked that the three suspects were arrested. I want to recover my N500, 000 and I do not know how I will go about it,” the man said.
Mr Odeyeyiwa said the police recovered one locally made double barrel, shot gun, one Jack knife and late policemen uniform, bullet proof vests, phones and cartridges from the suspects
Yet another suspect, Mmadukaji Moses, 30, said: “We are 15 armed robbers who have been terrorizing Agwa town and attacked police divisions. We killed two policemen and took away their guns and used it for robbery at the check point in Obudi Agwa axis. We wore police uniform to carry out operations in Obudi Agwa town. It was the Anti-Kidnapping operatives who stunned our community and arrested six of us while other gang members escaped from the scene. We took the Anti-Kidnapping operatives to our hideout and they recovered our local guns, charms and cartridges which we used to operate in Obudi-agwa axis’.
“We are members of IPOB/ESN, and we have robbed and attacked Navy personnel, Army personnel and police personnel. We killed them when they wanted to attack us. Since then, we escaped from the Agwa town to hide somewhere. Later, we came back and started robbing victims and kidnapping them at Obudi-Agwa axis before we were arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping operatives. We have handed over our arms, ammunitions and IPOB clothes to the operatives.”
CP Barde said all the suspects would soon be charged to court.
