A herbalist and twenty-five other people are under arrest by the Rivers State Police Command for auto theft and other crimes throughout the state.
The suspects are thought to be in charge of roughly 79 cars that have been stolen from the state, according to state Commissioner of Police Mr. Olatunji Disu, who was presenting the suspects yesterday at police headquarters.
Disu disclosed that a herbalist who had been preparing charms for the crooks prior to their operations was also one among the suspects, and that person is currently assisting with the inquiry.
The CP said: “For some time now, we noticed that a lot of cars have been stolen and some robbed. So we tasked officers of our tactical team to investigate it. I am very happy to inform you that about 26 suspects specialised in stealing vehicles and robbing them have been arrested.”
The arrest of the gang’s head, Chidozie Onyekwe, and technician Kelechi Uzogwe, who specializes in removing trackers from stolen automobiles, he said, was the police command’s greatest delight.
“Chidozie is the leader of persons who come into Rivers State to steal cars. Not only does he come in here, he trains personnel.
“He is linked to all the suspects who have been arrested at one time or the other for this same offence of stealing cars.
“At the same time, Kelechi Uzogwe is an expert in removing trackers in vehicles. Almost all the vehicles stolen from Rivers State must pass through Kelechi to remove the trackers. He is also a wonderful mechanic.
“Most of these cars stolen were taken to Anambra and Kano State and some of them find their way out of the country. The cars were taken to ‘Mmbuka’ in Obosi, Onitsha, where they are dismembered in pieces and sold as scraps.
“In total, 79 vehicles have been linked to all these suspects paraded here. Most of the suspects met themselves while they were in the Correctional Centre, and about five of them are ex-convicts,” he said.
The head of police also revealed that a number of weapons and extra keys that were used to move the stolen cars had been found.
