Aba area command of the Nigeria Police has smashed a burglary gang said to be responsible for numerous burglary incidents in warehouses, stores and supermarkets in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State.
It was gathered that a team of crack detectives, led by Alphonsus Ayang, a Superintendent of Police (SP) and Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Ndiegoro Police Division, arrested two prime suspects; Nkemakolam Ibe (46) from Nkwere in Imo State and Uche Mathias (45), a native of Obehie in Ukwa West local government area of Abia State.
The duo were said to be the ring leaders of the gang after painstaking monitoring. They were nabbed, while perpetrating burglary in a warehouse in Aba main town with other three members of the gang, now at large.
A police source at Aba Area command headquarters told Cityfile that the arrest of Ibe and Mathias, was influenced by the charge of the state Commissioner of Police (CP), Ene Okon to all DPO’s to ensure free crime during the yuletide.
The source said that the Aba Area command had noticed a rise in the number of break-ins at many business premises and instructed all the eight DPO’s under it to monitor, track and get the hoodlums arrested.
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Night burglary has been the biggest problem for many importers and traders, who own warehouses in the Aba business zone, as several break-ins have reportedly taken most importers out of business and left many traders perpetually indebted.
Cityfile gathered that luck ran out on Ibe and Mathias, when the team of detectives from Ndiegoro Police Division, who have been monitoring their burglary activities through intelligence gathering.
It was further learnt that their arrest came few days after they successfully broke into three warehouses located at Pound Road, by East Street, Jubilee Road by Mosque Street and also at Jubilee Road by George’s Street, where they carted away assorted textile materials, foreign wines and energy drinks worth millions of naira.
It was gathered that the Ayang-led team of detectives also discovered and raided the gang’s two different safe houses, at Umule and Factory Road, where they kept stolen goods, including, textile materials, wines and energy drinks.
The Ndiegoro DPO’s team also recovered two vehicles: a Toyota SUV with number plate, Lagos AKD 270 DA and a Peugeot J5 van with number plate, Abia EZA 365 YF and one industrial cutter used by the gang for their operations.
Cityfile’s visit to Ehi Road, Market Road, St Michael’s Road, Hospital Road, Jubilee Road and Azikiwe Road, showed that these areas have high concentration of warehouses.
One of the traders, who spoke anonymously, described the arrest of the gang, as victory for the entire Aba business community, stressing that they have lost goods worth hundreds of millions to the burglars.
“When I heard about the arrest I was happy. It seems God wants to help us recover losses in 2019. I don’t know if those arrested are the only people involved in the burglary activities going on in Aba. But with what I learnt were recovered by the police at Cameroun Barracks, I have no doubt that this gang ruined a lot of businesses here,” said the trader.
