CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
Two traders of the Balogun Business Association, BBA, at the Trade Fair International Market in Ojo Local Government have been arrested and paraded for breaking into a Chinese company and carting away goods worth millions of Naira in Lagos.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the traders were Ifeanyi Okafor, 30 and Okonkwo Nnamdi, 39, while the leader of the syndicate popularly known as Tupac escaped and was said to be on the run.
They were among the suspected criminals paraded by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal at the Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos.
The suspects were said to have successfully broken into the Chinese company’s office at Balogun end of the complex, carted away 39 cartons of Snicker’s foot wears worth millions of Naira and were about escaping before they were caught redhanded by the police on a tip off.
During the parade, the police boss noted that the suspects were unique because of the circumstance as they were caught in the act by the police. He said on 26th April, 2018, the DPO Trade Fair complex, SP Sunny Akaeze got information that a syndicate who specialised in breaking into and looting shops at Trade Fair complex were about to operate at Balogun Business Association section of the complex.
Edgal said that based on the tip off, the team of operatives led by the DCO were dispatched to Kaduna plaza on surveillance. The suspects were eventually apprehended at night with cartons of the product while they were escaping with them. They were arrested, detained at the police station and the products recovered as exhibits.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that during interrogations, the police discovered that Ifeanyi Okafor was a failed trader in the market, had sold his shop and wanted to relaunch himself into business by stealing while Nnamdi still owned a shop at Kebbi plaza.
The suspects confessed and both mentioned Tupac who was said to be at large as their leader. The police also recovered one saw blade and broken padlocks which the Chinese used to lock the burgled office at the complex.
CP Edgal said that the police were making every effort to arrest Tupac while the arrested suspects will be charged to court.