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Prosper Israel, a DSS employee who had been fired, and nine other people suspected of robbing people were paraded Monday by the Abia State Police Command.
On July 26, 2022, a bullion van was ambushed by an alleged 14-man robbery gang near the Ntigha Junction of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway. A dismissed DSS employee named Prosper Israel and nine other alleged robbers were paraded yesterday for robbery by the Abia State Police Command.
The accused allegedly belonged to a 14-person robbery group that ambushed a bullion van on July 26, 2022, close to Ntigha Junction on the Enugu-Port Harcourt road.
A new generation bank's cash officer was shot and killed during the robbery, and the suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of money that was being transported by the bullion van.
Three police officers accompanying the bullion truck received critical injuries, and one of the criminals was murdered by the security guards in a gunfight.
The arrest of the defendants, according to the state's commissioner of police, Janet Agbade, was the result of months of meticulous work and investigation.
The CP said:
“We carefully studied their modus operandi and set up a special intelligence technologically-led Investigative Squad, ITLIS, with a clear directive to arrest and recover weapons used by the deadly armed robbery gang”, .
“Consequently, the Investigation used systematically commenced operation, applying speed and accuracy, and on different locations and days, arrested the following callous armed robbery gang”,
The police chief identified the accused as Ondo State residents Adesoji Adeniyi, Nnamdi Nwaosu, also known as "Prophet," Chinwendu Israel from Abia, and Prosper Israel (ex-DSS agent), all from Abia.
Others were Felix Ajaja from Ondo State, Moshood Opeyemi from Osun State, Matthew Christmas from Delta, and Nwachukwu Albert, also known as White (first amourer), a resident of Lagos but originally from Delta State.
Azubuike Amaefula, better known as Zubby, of Abia, and Monday Samuel, a second amourer from Delta who resides in Ondo State, were also suspects.
One General Purpose Machine Rifle (GPMG), thirteen AK 47 riffles, one cut-to-size double barrel gun with five live ammunition, and 84 AK 47 magazines were among the exhibits retrieved from the suspects.
Other items were two dynamite bombs, a Mercedes mini vehicle meant to conceal guns, and N10, 184,000 in cash.
The suspects admitted, according to the CP, that they had watched the bullion vehicle for two months during questioning.
The CP urged with the general people to always provide information about possible criminals nearby as he stated that attempts were being made to track down three other gang members who were still at large.
She stated that following additional inquiries, the suspects would be charged.
Albert, the truck's driver, later explained in an interview that his responsibility was to manoeuvre the vehicle to the operation's objective area while concealing the weapons whenever necessary.
He claimed that at the time of his detention, a GPMG and five AK-47s were hidden inside the truck.
The suspect who claimed to have left the University of Ado Ekiti and was born in Aniocha North LGA begged for pardon.
The suspect claimed to be a dealer in denim clothing and that he participated in the heist to generate cash for growing his company.
The driver said;
“I have never killed. My own job is to drive the vehicle to the scene of operation and hand over the guns”,
In a similar vein, the former DSS officer begged for pardon, claiming that this was his first involvement in a crime.
He claimed that after starting off as a government employee in the Abia State Government House, he was fired in 2007 for showing up late for a new assignment.
He claimed that his brother gave him a portion of the cash he received from the operation.
He Said;
"My role in the operation was that I was in my house when my brother brought money and his colleagues and they shared and gave me part of it.
"I asked him and he told me how they got the money. I want to plead for forgiveness because I failed to rebuke him. So, it is obvious I participated because I can’t say I did not. But it was not intentional and I want society to forgive us”.
Newsfill
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