Abia State Police command has paraded a dismissed personnel of the Department of State Services, DSS, Prosper Israel, his younger brother, Chinwendu Israel and with eight others for robbing a bullion van loaded with cash.
Mr. Prosper Israel said he was dismissed from DSS in 2007 after his service at Government House Abia State ended in 2007 following the end of Gov. Orji Kalu’s administration.
The Ugwunagbo native explained that before he could return to his station, he was tried and summarily dismissed in absentia.
He, however, denied being part of the robbery gang but said his younger brother along with his “colleagues” brought money and shared it in his house and gave him part of it. He admitted that he was aware that his brother was into robbery.
He said he regrets his action, appealing for forgiveness.
The robbery gang had on 26 July 2022, waylaid the bullion van being escorted by the the Police along Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway near Ntigha Juntion in Isiala Ngwa North L.G.A of Abia State, killing the cash officer on the spot.
Parading the suspects at Abia State Police command headquarters in Umuahia on Monday, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbede said the sum of 10,184,000.00 was recovered from the gang.
According to the police boss, the arrest of the suspects followed a careful study of “their modus operandi and set up a special intelligence technologically led investigation squad (ITLIS) with a clear directive to arrest and recover weapons used by the deadly armed robbery gang.
Other suspects arrested include, Adesoji Adeniyi aka ‘Soji” male from Ondo State who was arrested in Lagos State, Nnamdi Nwaosu aka ‘Prophet’ male from Rivers state, resident and arrested in Imo State and Nwachukwu Albert aka White male (1st Armourer) from Delta state, resident and arrested in Lagos state.
Others are, Felix Ajalaja male from Ondo state, resident and arrested in Rivers state, Moshood Opeyemi aka Abiola, male from Osun state resident and arrested in Rivers state, Matthew Christmas aka Aluwa male from Delta state, resident and arrested in Delta State, Azubuike Amaefula aka Zubby male from Abia state, resident and arrested in Rivers state and Monday Samuel aka MD male (2nd Armourer) from Delta state, resident and arrested in Ondo state.
Exhibits recovered from them include, one General purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with 53 rounds of live ammunition, thirteen AK47 rifles with 1,749 live ammunition, Two improvised explosive dynamite, one cut to size double barrel gun with 5 live cartridges, and Eighty four (84) AK47 magazines.
Others are, Mercedes Benz mini truck they used in concealing their firearms and Cash of Ten million, one hundred and eighty four thousand naira (N10,184,000.00) only.
“All the above mentioned suspects in their individual voluntary statements confessed belonging to a 14-man awful armed robbery gang with speciality in bullion van attacks and that for about two months before the attack, the Bullion van had been under their surveillance” she said.
She advised parents, Guardians, husbands, wives and children to always know the sources of one another’s livelihood.
