Police arrest ex-DSS officer over ‘bullion van robbery’ in Abia

The Abia police command has arrested 10 members of an armed robbery gang over the alleged theft of N390 million.

On July 26, gunmen killed a bank official during an attack on a bullion van conveying cash at Ntigha junction, near Umuahia, the state capital.

Parading the suspects on Monday, Janet Agbede, Abia police commissioner, said after the robbery attack, a “special intelligence, technologically-led investigation squad” was set up to arrest the perpetrators.

The police commissioner said the suspects confessed that the attack was executed after two months of surveillance of the bullion van.

She said the suspects were arrested in different parts of Abia, Delta, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Imo states.

The suspects were listed as Adesoji Adeniyi, Albert Nwachukwu, Felix Ajalaja, Moshood Opeyemi, Azubuike Amaefule, Nnamdi Nwaosu, Monday Samuel, and Matthew Christmas.

Other suspects are Chikwendu and Prosper Israel.

According to NAN, Prosper said he joined his brother to engage in robbery activities after he was dismissed from the Department of State Services (DSS).

The police recovered one general-purpose machine gun with 53 rounds of live ammunition, 13 AK-47 rifles with 1,749 live ammunition and two improvised explosive dynamites.

Other items recovered were one cut-to-size double barrel gun with five live cartridges and 84 AK47 magazines.

The police also recovered N10,184,000 from the suspects.