Three suspected armed robbers allegedly linked to the killing of a little boy, a private security officer and two police officers have been arrested by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command.
The suspects who allegedly specialised in destroying ATM machines were arrested at Tantalizer Fast food along Abak road, Uyo by the operatives of the Anti-robbery squad, following a tip-off while attempting to destroy another ATM machine on July 10,2021.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon, who paraded the suspects at a media briefing in Uyo on Friday revealed that the suspects were trailed and arrested while carrying out their atrocious acts.
The suspects include one Praise Sunday Nwagu, 30, Tony Ambrose, 41, and Sunday Edet Udo, 32 while items recovered from them include two gas cylinder filled with gas, two welding pipes, two shifting spanners and one coloured Toyota Corolla car with registration number BRR 437 RM
The suspects, according to the PPRO, have confessed to their involvement in the killing of the three persons and the ATM bank frauds amounting to N26m among others crimes.
Odiko Macdon said, “On 10/7/2021 at about 9:53 am, following a tip-off that unknown hoodlums used welding machine to maliciously destroy an Access Bank Automated Teller Machine at Oliver Twist, along Brook Street, Uyo and carted away the sum of N8 million, operatives of Anti-robbery Squad traced the hoodlums to Tantalizer Fast food situated at Abak road, while attempting to destroy another ATM and arrested them.
“During interrogation the suspects confessed to have been involved in the destruction of Access Bank ATM and robbery of of N8 million at Oliver Twist, Uyo, destruction of Union Bank ATM and robbery of N11 million at College of Education, Afaha Nsit, destruction of ATM and robbery of N7M at Ikot Ekpene, attack on Jean Juliet Supermarket at Ikot Ekpene road, where they killed a little boy”.
Others, he disclosed, include: “attack on metropolitan supermarket at Oron Road, robbery at E-Plus mates at Atiku Abubabar Avenue , murder of two Policemen at Tranquility hotel, Nung Oku, robbery of Maya restaurant at two lanes, where a private security was killed and robbery of R&R supermarket at Nnaniba, where a sienna car was robbed”.
The command has also reported an arrest of five car robbery suspects who specialized in armed robbery and car snatching.
According to the suspects who were ambushed on the 18th of July,2022 at about 1 pm. include one Nsikak Godwin Sunday, Ubong Edem Edet, Richard Nse Uko, Otobong Uwem Essien and Itohowo Linus Edit.
Odiko Macdon therefore listed items recovered from the suspects to include four lo ally made pistols, four expended cartridges, one empty shell of. AK-47 ammunition and a red Toyota Sienna car with registration number MUs 797 GS among others.
The police command therefore assured that all the suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
