By Emeka Samuel
The Police in Akwa Ibom has paraded one Uduak Stephen James, a driver for conspiring with three others to steal a Toyota Hilux belonging to his boss, an official of Akwa Savings Ltd. in Uyo.
It also paraded 68 other suspects for committing various crimes ranging from electoral offences during the just concluded 2019 elections in the state, abduction and rape, murder and robbery.
Parading the suspects over the weekend in Uyo, the statr Police Commissioner Ibrahim Sani Kaoje explained that Uduak Stephen James, the driver to the victim conspired with three of his friends, for them to invade his master’s house, tie him(driver) with a rope before carting away the vehicle.
The plan according to Kaoje would allay every suspicion from people that he (driver) had a hand in the theft of the Master’s car.
The commissioner who spoke through the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP MacDon Ogbeche said that as soon as the victim complained to the police, his men swung into action and the vehicle was recovered in Ikot-Ekpene, at a place where the suspects took the vehicle for a re-spray for easy re-selling.
“On 1st March, 2019 at about 01:14am, relying on a credible information, one Uduak Stephen James M, Oscar Albert Eyo M, Bassey Ntokon Otong M, Wisdom Okon Edet ‘M’ who stole stole one white Toyota Hilux at Akwa Savings Estate, Uyo were arrested.
“The said vehicle was taken to spray painter at Ikot-Ekpene to change the colour to enable them sell same. Suspects will be charged to court.” The commissioner said.
Kaoje also said that a total of 42 persons were arrested in connection with electoral offences in the just concluded 2019 general elections in the state.
Their offences according to him included unlawful possession of firearms, unlawful possession of electoral materials such as result sheets, political thuggery and malicious damage to electoral materials.
He further said the command had arrested two robbery/ murder suspects, Emeti Effiong Jimmy and Akaninyene Silas Effiong who allegedly robbed a provision store and subsequently murdered their victim’s father who came to rescue her daughter(victim).
“The suspects invaded the provision shop of one Nsidebe Monday Tommy ‘f’and dispossessed her of seventy thousand naira(N70,000). In an attempt to rescue the victim by her father, Monday Tommy Akpan, the suspects struck him with sticks and iron rods on his head and he fell down. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment were he later gave up the ghost.”
Kaoje also hinted that the command had on February 28, 2019 arrested one John Friday John, Joseph Etim Effiong and Eke Christopher for abducting and jointly raping a girl (name withheld) in an uncompleted building at Manta 1 Primary School.
The Commissioner also paraded about fifteen suspects who engaged in stealing of various items such as computer monitors, television sets, hand sets and cash from peoples’ houses.
Items recovered from the suspects were locally made pistols, expended catridges, ATM cards, Android phones, Plasma TV, HP laptop, handsets, Torchlights, cash of thirty two thousand (N32,000) Indian Hemps and charms.
One of the suspects who spoke with some journalists confessed to the crime saying that he was compelled to robbery due to hard times.
“I went into robbery because i suffer a lot. Since i finished my secondary school in 2011, i had no job so i decided to attach myself to the street boys so as to eke out a living for myself.” He said.
