A
Deputy Superintendent of Prisons in the Nigerian Prisons Service, Mr. Collins
Ugwu, has been arrested by the Police in Enugu on suspicion of armed robbery.
Ugwu,
a native of Ezza in Ebonyi State, who resides in Abuja where he works at the
headquarters of the Nigeria Prisons Service, was reportedly caught in Enugu on
June 26.
The
senior prisons officer was arrested alongside alleged accomplices — Ifeanyi
Ozor, a native of Enugu State who is also residing in Abuja; and Smart Osetu,
from Oguta in Imo State.
Commissioner
of Police, Enugu State, Mr. Mohammed Danmallam, disclosed this while parading
the suspects.
He
alleged that, apart from armed robbery, the prisons officer and his gang were
also involved in conspiracy, malicious damage, stealing and ‘obtaining by
tricks.’
The
Enugu Police chief said that Ugwu and others were apprehended after the Police
gathered intelligence information on their activities.
According
to him, the gang hung around the premises of commercial banks to monitor
prospective victims who had come to withdraw money.
Items
allegedly 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 used in ‘scratching down’ windows of cars when they wanted to steal
from their victims.
Ugwu
rebuffed attempts by journalists to get him to explain why a Deputy
Superintendent of Prisons would venture into armed robbery and other criminal
activities, especially after witnessing, at close quarters, the harsh treatment
meted out to criminals in Nigerian prisons.
Sitting
quietly on the bare floor, Ugwu refused to respond to questions. He also
bowed his head in order to prevent journalists from taking photograph of his
headshot.
The
Police commissioner further explained that Ugwu and the other suspects were
already helping the Police in their investigations and that they will soon be
charged to court.
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