Police parade fake NSCDC officials in Abia

POLICE operatives in Abia State have paraded four suspected fake members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps along the Ugwunagbo axis of the Enugu/Port Harcourt expressway.

The suspects are  Thankgod Ani, Chinedu Ezekwem, Peter Onyemachi and Chiemezie Nnadozie.

Items recovered from the suspects were two pairs of NSCDC uniform, a pair of scissors, three machetes, two torchlights and two pairs of safety boots.

Speaking while parading the hoodlums at the police headquarters in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, the Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr. Adeleye Oyebade, said a police patrol team intercepted one Passat car with Registration No. NKR 271 AA on August 26, 2016.

He added that the four occupants of the car claimed to be members of NSCDC but on interrogation, it was discovered that they were impersonators on a mission to hijack tanker truck with either PMS or AGO petroleum products on the expressway.

Oyebade noted that the command had completed investigation into the case and added that prosecution would follow promptly.

He assured the people of Abia that the command was ready to flush out of the state criminals indulging in child stealing, kidnapping, rape and armed robbery, adding that all the officers in the state had been well trained to do the job.

The CP commended members of the public, who had been giving the police information on criminal activities around their communities and pointed out that such information had reduced the response time to distress call by the police.

He urged members of the public to continue to give useful information to the police that would help to apprehend criminals.

Some of the suspects, who spoke with Southern City News, confessed to the crime with Ani admitting that he arranged for the failed operation.

He said, “I planned the operation that failed. Our aim was to hijack any tanker truck loaded with petroleum products along the road and sell the product to raise money for ourselves.

“The pressure I have been receiving from the people I owe and hunger led me into this crime. I made the NSCDC uniform myself because I have some experience in making clothes. I bought all the materials from the market.

 “We used public transport to the place we stayed for the operation on the first day, but on the second day, Nnadozie brought his boss’s car and we went with the car. We were arrested immediately we arrived at the place we wanted to stay for the operation.”