Imo Poly student, others arrested for stealing vehicles, confess to crime

-Student confesses to stealing government vehicle

A student of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, Johnbosco Ashiegbu, and 34-year-old Chinonso Ewurum, have been arrested by operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Imo State on the grounds of stealing two vehicles.

The police have accused Ashiegbu and Ewurum of stealing the vehicles including a N19m Hilux van owned by the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

The police also disclosed that the suspects sold the vehicle for N300,000 to one Nnamdi Ejinkeonye in Onitsha.

The other vehicle, a Toyota Camry, was stolen by the suspects in the Imo Housing Estate axis of Owerri, where it was parked by its owner, the police added.

The Toyota Camry, valued at N3.9m, was said to have also been sold to Ejinkeonye for N350,000.

26 year-old Ashiegbu, from the Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State,disclosed to PUNCH that that he engaged in criminal activities so as to raise money to “sort out my results in school.”

He added that “My desire to sort out my results in school led me into crime. After arranging my results in school, I used the remaining money to live a good life and to take care of my girlfriend.”

He revealed that he got N30,000 from the sale of the Hilux owned by the government and realised N285,000 from the sale of the Toyota Camry.

Speaking to Southern City News on condition of anonymity, a police source said the suspects were known to use fabricated keys to unlock peoples’ cars, which they usually sold at Onitsha Market.

The source said, “A team of federal SARS operatives led by its commander, Godfrey Victor, a Superintendent of Police, rounded up the suspects in their houses in Owerri when information about their criminal operation had been gathered.”

Police investigation revealed that the suspects sold the government’s Hilux van worth N19m and the Toyota Camry worth N3.9m to Ejinkeonye who they got to know through one Nzube.

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According to the police source, “Chinonso and Nzube are brothers. The gang is a deadly one. Because they have a waiting buyer, they sell at any amount as long as you are ready to buy in cash.

“We are closing in on Nnamdi and Nzube. We will soon arrest them and bring them to justice. They cannot run too far.”

An indigene of Okija in Anambra State, Ewurum said he was involved in stealing the Toyota Camry and got N25,000 from the profits but denied partaking in the stealing of the government Hilux van.

He also added that his younger brother was given N15,000 for bringing Ejinkeonye, who bought the vehicle.

The police source added that the identity card of the undergraduate and the master key used in stealing vehicles have been recovered as exhibits.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Chris Ezike, confirmed the incident saying the introduction of the whistle-blowing policy of his command and Owerri City Policing initiative were part of the measures to curb crimes in the state.