Police Arrests Soldier, 18 year Old Girl for Armed RObbery

Police in Aba, Abia state have arrested a soldier Abdulkarim Salawudeen and an 18 year old girl, Ogechi Chibuike for alleged armed robbery at the Osisioma Ngwa section of the Enugu - Port Harcourt Expressway.

Salawudeen, who claimed to be a Lance Corporal with Army number, 98NA/ 47/3484, was alleged to have conspired with Ogechi and others still at large to rob unsuspecting members of the public at odd hours of the day.

The girl, Ogechi would stand by the road side at odds hours crying for assistance from road users particularly from 7pm to 11pm and when people stop to assist her, the soldier, Salawudeen and other members of his gang would come out from their hiding in nearby bush with their guns and rob them. Items recovered from them include 16 Army camouflage uniforms, 3 ear rings, assorted GSM cards, Citizen bank Identity card belonging to one Ngozi Njoku as well as a Citizen bank Cheque book bearing the name of Onwumere Okechukwu.

Sources hint that Salawudeen who hails from Kogi state was a serving soldier in 93 Battalion, Takum, Taraba state but deployed to an Army formation in Abia state.

Salawudeen is also said to have series of disciplinary cases which necessitated his return to his Battalion but he rather chose to abscond and form a robbery gang.

A senior Police officer who pleaded anonymity disclosed that many victims have been coming to the Command to identify Salawudeen as the one who robbed them of their property with a military uniform.

Effort is still being made to locate the other criminals.