A Deputy Superintendent of Prisons in the Nigerian Prisons Service, Collins Ugwu, has been arrested for alleged involvement in armed robbery.
The prison boss was arrested on June 26, 2018 in Enugu State, though he resides in Abuja, where he works at the headquarters of the Nigeria Prisons Service.
Ugwu, who was paraded by the Commissioner, Enugu State Police Command, Mohammed Danmallam, was arrested alongside Ifeanyi Ozor, a native of Enugu State, who is also resident in Abuja; and Smart Osetu from Oguta in Imo State.
Danmallam said apart from armed robbery, Ugwu, Ozor and Osetu were also involved in conspiracy, malicious damage, stealing and “obtaining by tricks”.
He said Ugwu and his colleagues were apprehended after the police gathered intelligence information on their activities.
According to him, the gang stayed around the premises of commercial banks to monitor prospective victims who had come to withdraw money.
Danmallam said: “The suspects (Ugwu, Ozor and Osetu) belong to a syndicate that specialises in monitoring anyone that has gone to bank to make withdrawals and trail them to a point where they can smartly force the door or the windscreen (of the victims’ car) open with their instrument and steal the said amount.
“They are also part of a syndicate that buys goods from traders and generate fake payment alert to the owner of the goods without him knowing.
“They were nabbed along Ogui Road, Enugu by the operatives of the Enugu State Police Command on June 26, 2018, following intelligence information gathered concerning their nefarious activities.”
Items recovered from the suspects, according to Danmallam, included a Golf car with registration number Abuja RBC 220 KF, and a broken plug, which they allegedly use in “scratching down” the window of the car to steal from their victims.
