The Enugu State Police Command has arrested two suspected thieves in separate operations in Nkanu West Local Government Area and New Haven, Enugu, recovering a stolen tricycle, motorcycle and other items allegedly linked to criminal activities.
The command also recovered two bags containing 112 new wrappers and 29 female handbags, as well as a Point-of-Sale machine and a heavy-duty cable cutter abandoned by suspected thieves who fled during a police operation in the New Haven area.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, noting that the arrests and recoveries were recorded during separate operations by personnel attached to the Nkanu West and New Haven Divisions.
Ndukwe said operatives of the Nkanu West Division, working in collaboration with Forest Guards, arrested a 24-year-old man, Nnamani Chekube Eze, at about 5pm on September 9 in Akpugo.
According to him, Eze was allegedly found in possession of an unregistered Sanya motorcycle which had reportedly been stolen from a man at Obuno-Akpugo in Nkanu West.
The police spokesman said the suspect had made a confessional statement and was assisting detectives with the investigation.
In a separate operation, personnel of the New Haven Division arrested a suspect identified as Godwin Emmanuel at about 7pm on August 30 during a patrol around New Artisan Market.
Ndukwe said Emmanuel was apprehended at an uncompleted building near WAEC Bus Stop, Independence Layout, where he was allegedly found with a tricycle reportedly stolen earlier that day from a church in the area.
He added that the suspect also confessed to stealing a Sumo pumping machine at Maryland, Enugu.
Emmanuel and the recovered tricycle were subsequently transferred to the Independence Layout Police Division. The suspect was later arraigned and remanded in correctional custody by the court.
Meanwhile, residents' vigilance led to another police operation in the New Haven area on September 3.
Ndukwe said residents alerted the police at about 6:10am after observing some suspected thieves moving from Ugbo-Okonkwo towards the Powerline area.
Following the alert, operatives of the New Haven Division mobilised to the area, forcing the suspects to abandon two bags and flee.
With the assistance of members of the Neighbourhood Watch, the police recovered the abandoned bags, which contained 112 new wrappers and 29 female handbags.
The items were later identified by their owners and returned to them. A POS machine and a heavy-duty cable cutter were also recovered during the operation.
The PPRO said the command had intensified efforts to track and arrest the suspects who escaped from the scene.
He added that Eze, the suspect arrested over the alleged motorcycle theft, would be arraigned after the completion of investigations.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the police operatives, residents and community-based security groups for their cooperation and vigilance.
Giwa directed the command to intensify efforts to identify, arrest and prosecute the fleeing suspects in accordance with the law.
The commissioner also reaffirmed the command's commitment to sustaining operations against criminal elements and making Enugu increasingly difficult for persistent offenders to operate.
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