A hoodlum in a millitary camouflage, one Uchenna Chima who specializes in vandalization and selling of street light cables and other criminal activities in the state has been arrested by security operatives.
Chima was arrested on a tip off by some security agents working with the state governor David Umahi along the major streets of Abakaliki.
The governor has expressed shock over the involvement of 3 staff of the Ministry of Power who was indicted by Chima of sponsoring his criminal activities.
He described their action as economic sabotage noting that the state government would stop at nothing in prosecuting the civil servants.
Recall that Umahi had on last Friday during the handover and commissioning of some equipment procured by the state government for the Ministry of Power regretted that a senior staff of the ministry had procured and installed substandard cables for the streetlight project and called for its immediate removal.
He described their action as more grievous than kidnapping and urged the police and all other relevant authorities to ensure that all those arrested were made to face the full wrath of the law.
While handing over the suspect to the police, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, Dr Kenneth Ugbala explained that the suspect has been linked to various violent crimes ranging from snatching of tricycles and the recent killing of an innocent Nigerian along water works road Abakaliki.
Ugbala alleged that the suspect used to disguise in Millitary camouflage, enter tricycle going towards Nkwegu cantonement and rob other passengers on the way and sometimes snatch the tricylce from the driver.
Meanwhile, the state government has closed down the scrap market located near Akanu Ibiam roundabout Abakaliki due to suspected connicvance of some dealers with hoodlums who specialise in exhuming and stealing electricity cables.
Ugbala announced the closure when he visited the complex and discovered some of the cables stolen by the suspect in the market.
“With the directive and permission of the State government and the Governor of Ebonyi state, David Umahi this market is hereby closed down.
“Closing it down is for security agencies to carry out full investigation of this place”.
It was gathered that the Police later took the suspect to his house where some more exhibits including roles of electricity cables, army camouflage and caps were discovered in his house.
The landlord of the suspect, Gabriel Ukpaja said he had noticed some criminal activities by the suspect which made him to issue him with a quit notice to pack out of his house on or before 1st August 2017.
Reacting, the suspect alleged that one Ejike from Ikwo, Odumeke also from Ikwo and one Uchenna, all staff of Ministry of Power usually sell the cables to him at the scrap market.
