Mother of two, others arrested for robbery in Anambra

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two suspects, including a 25-year-old mother of two for armed robbery, unlawful possession of firearms as well as also recovering one pump action gun and other incriminating items.

The spokesman for the command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said in a statement on Tuesday, that the arrest followed a reported incident on January 22, 2025, at the police station where the suspects and one other, who is still at large, dispossessed a victim of her personal belongings around the Oko Community Hospital.

Ikenga added that the joint security team comprising police and vigilante operatives, acting on intelligence-driven investigation carried out the arrest on January 24, 2025.

He said, “The joint security team comprising police operatives at the Oko Divisional Headquarters and operatives of the AVG Amaokpala acting on the intelligence-driven investigation on January 24, 2025, by 4.54 pm, arrested one Michael Chinweze aka ‘Small’, ‘M’, aged 20 years, a native of Iwollo, Eziagu LGA of Enugu State and Mmesoma Agba ‘F’, aged 25 years from Enugwu-Nanka in Anambra.

“During the arrest, the police recovered one pump action gun, one mobile phone, a black handbag, two tiny glasses suspected to be used in inhaling hard drugs.

“The arrest follows a reported incident on January 22, 2025, at the police station where the suspects and one other who is still at large dispossessed a victim of her personal belongings around the Oko Community Hospital.

“The items forcibly taken at gunpoint include: one red Cub motorcycle with Reg No: WER 137 GV valued at N1,300,000 only, her bag containing one Techno mobile phone, one ATM card and a cash sum of N38,000 only allegedly realised from the victim’s daily business in the shop.

“During interrogation of the suspects, Michael confessed to the crime and said that he stole the gun from a security post in a hotel at Amaokpala.

“Preliminary information also  revealed that the first husband of Mmesoma (a mother of two) was earlier neutralised by the police in a gun battle with the gang members during a criminal operation.”

He added that the Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Obono Itam, had ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka and charged the operatives to redouble efforts at arresting the other suspects currently on the run.

Similarly, the command said it had launched an investigation into the killing of a yet-to-be-identified middle-aged man who was shot dead along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway of the state.

Some eyewitnesses near the scene of the incident said the victim was accosted by some gunmen who were riding in a Toyota Sienna vehicle, attacked him along the road and shot him in the stomach.

One of the eyewitnesses who craved anonymity said, “The attack happened on Thursday morning along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway. The victim was shot in the stomach by the gunmen who were riding in a Toyota Sienna vehicle.

“They shot him and abandoned his lifeless body and fled the scene. The police operatives from Ozubulu Division were alerted and they came the following day to remove the corpse.”

However, the Spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the attack and removal of the lifeless body in a statement on Tuesday.

Ikenga said a spot observation by the police response team and reports from eyewitnesses at the scene revealed that the victim was shot in the stomach.

He said, “In the early hours of January 23, 2025, police operatives attached to Ozubulu Divisional Headquarters responded to a distress call along the Onitsha/Owerri Express Road and recovered the body of a yet-to-be-identified young man.

“The command hereby seeks assistance from members of the public for possible identification of the victim and other information that will facilitate the ongoing investigative proceedings.

“A spot observation by the police responding team and report from eyewitnesses at the scene reveals that the victim was shot in the stomach by suspected armed men who abandoned his lifeless body and fled the scene.

“Meanwhile, the body has been deposited at the morgue and further developments shall be communicated, please.”