Police Arrest 10 Suspects Over Abia Bullion Van Attack

Ten Suspects, including a dismissed personnel of the Department of State Services, DSS, Prosper Israel, have been arrested and paraded for the robbery of a bullion van in Abia in July.

The suspects were part of the 14-man robbery gang that ambushed a bullion van near the Ntigha junction of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway on July 26, 2022.

The nine suspects were identified as Adesoji Adeniyi, Nnamdi Nwaosu a.k.a “Prophet”; Chinwendu Israel, Nwachukwu Albert,Felix Ajaja, Moshood Opeyemi, Matthew Christmas, Azubuike Amaefula and Monday Samuel.

During the robbery, the cash officer of a new generation bank, Igwe O Igwe, was killed on the spot while the suspects carted away an unspecified amount of cash being conveyed by the bullion van.

Three police personnel escorting the bullion van sustained life-threatening wounds while one of the robbers was killed by the security men during a gun duel.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Janet Agbade, while parading the suspects on Monday, said their arrest was a reward for months of painstaking efforts and investigation.

“I carefully studied their modus operandi and set up a special intelligence technologically-led Investigative squad ( ITLIS) with a clear directive to arrest and recover weapons used by the deadly armed robbery gang”, the CP said.

“Consequently, the Investigation used systematically commenced operation, applying speed and accuracy, and on different locations and days, arrested the following callous armed robbery gang,”

The police boss gave the names of the suspects as Adesoji Adeniyi from Ondo State; Nnamdi Nwaosu a.k.a “Prophet”; Chinwendu Israel from Abia; and Prosper Israel ( ex – DSS personnel), also from Abia.

“Others were Nwachukwu Albert a.k.a White ( first amourer) from Delta State but resident in Lagos; Felix Ajaja from Ondo State; Moshood Opeyemi, from Osun State; and Matthew Christmas also from Delta.

“Among the suspects also were Azubuike Amaefula a.k.a Zubby from Abia; and Monday Samuel (second armourer) from Delta but resident in Ondo State.

“Exhibits recovered from the suspects include one General Purpose Machine Gun ( GPMG); 13 AK 47 riffles; one cut-to-size double barrel gun with five live cartridges; 84 AK 47 magazines.

“Others were two improvised explosives dynamites; a Mercedes Benz mini truck used in concealing firearms; and cash of N10, 184,000”, he added.

According to the CP, the suspects during interrogation confessed that they placed the bullion van on surveillance for two months.