Ex-DSS officer, others arrested for robbing bullion van

Men of the Nigerian Police, Abia State Command has arrested 10 members of the robbery syndicate that allegedly robbed a bullion van on July 26 and carted away about N390 million.

Commissioner of Police, Janet Agbede said the suspects belonged to a 14-member gang that specialised in bullion van robbery across Nigeria.

The CP disclosed to journalists on Monday September 20th that the suspects were arrested at different times and locations in Abia, Delta, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Imo States.

She recalled that a special intelligence squad was set up after the ambush which occurred at Ntigha Junction on the Isialangwa axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

The commissioner disclosed that the suspects confessed to the crime “in their individual voluntary statements”.

The police chief said they further confessed to have robbed bullion vans in Ajah in Lagos, Akure Road in Ondo, Asaba in Delta, and Mbaise in Imo.

They suspects revealed that the Abia attack was executed after about two months surveillance on the bullion van.

Adesoji Adeniyi, aka “Soji” and Albert Nwachukwu, aka “White” were arrested in Lagos.

Felix Ajalaja, Moshood Opeyemi, aka “Abiola”, and Azubuike Amaefule, aka “Zubby”, arrested in Rivers.

Nnamdi Nwaosu, aka “Prophet”, Monday Samuel, aka “MD”, and Matthew Christmas, aka “Aluwa”, arrested in Imo, Ondo and Delta.

Other are two brothers from Abia, Chikwendu and Prosper Israel, arrested in the state.

Prosper told newsmen that he joined his brother in criminal activities after he was dismissed from the Department of State Services (DSS).

One General Purpose Machine Gun with 53 rounds of live ammunition, 13 AK47 rifles with 1,749 live ammunition were recovered.

Others were two improvised explosive dynamites, one cut-to-size double barrel gun with five live cartridges, 84 AK47 magazines and Mercedes Benz truck used to conceal the weapons.

Also recovered was N10,184,000 out of the N390million stolen from the bullion van. Other gang members are at large.

The robbers shot and killed a bank’s Cash Officer during the attack; three of the escort policemen sustained bullet injuries.