From David Eze, Abakaliki
Operatives of the Ebubeagu Security outfit, Ebonyi State command has raided Okpoto forest in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and arrested seven suspects who specialized in stealing tricycles.
Addressing Journalists in Abakaliki, the state Commissioner for Internal Security, Boarder Peace and Conflicts Resolution, Chief Stanley Okoro said the arrest was a result of credible intelligence gathering.
He said that security is a technical work, which must be designed and kept on for operation. “Yesterday we handed over six armed robbery suspects to the police, even though it was on a Sunday. On Saturday, we handed eight suspects to the police. Some even surrendered and brought their guns and said they don’t want to be criminals again. But we are making sure that those convicted by law, will go to prison. These ones here are the ones we have been tracking for four days now.”
He said the fight against insecurity should not be seen as one man affair and urged general public to intensify effort in giving intelligence information on any suspected movement in the state. “I told you, it was through intelligence information gathering that we were able to make the arrest at the forest” “There’s no kind of thing you won’t see there. When Police tried to invade there, they attacked police and police have to run back.
“When the information came to me, I say, let me get Ebubeagu involved. I designed the men of Ebubeagu security and you can see the breakthroughs. “We recovered up to five kekes (tricycles) from the criminals in the Forest there and they said that they have sold more than 150 kekes (tricycles) stolen from different towns, from Enugu, Abakalki and other parts of Ebonyi State and sold to Port Harcourt.
Meanwhile, some of the arrested suspects confessed to their crimes whereas few among them claimed that tricycles allegedly stolen were given to them under hire purchase but no witness had affirmed their claims as at a time filling this report.
