Two suspected thieves were nabbed for allegedly stealing car batteries in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The suspects were apprehended at Boro-pit area of Rumuokwurusi on Thursday afternoon, October 5, 2023.
In another development, men of the Zone 2 Police Command, Lagos have arrested a suspect, Ugomsinachi Maxwell, who allegedly belongs to a gang that specialises in snatching cars at gunpoint.
He was said to have been arrested in Lagos while trying to sell a car he snatched in Anambra State.
The Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Hauwa Adamu, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday.
According to Adamu, the suspects were trailed to a hotel in Ikorodu where they were set to sell off the car.
She said a gun battle ensued and one of the suspected car snatchers, Udoye Somchukwu, died from the gunshot wound he suffered in the crossfire while two others escaped.
Adamu said the gang snatched a black Toyota Highlander SUV at gunpoint from a victim in Anambra State and moved it to Lagos for sale.
Following intelligence gathered by the men of the command, she said the Assistant Inspector General of the Police, Ari Ali, detailed operatives of the Zonal Raider Unit to investigate and confirm the veracity of the information.
She added that the suspects were on September 22, 2023, trailed to Be Happy Hotel in Ita-Maga, Ikorodu, where the snatched vehicle was to be sold.
The statement read, “Upon sighting the police operatives, the suspected robbers engaged the operatives in a gun duel where one Udoye Sochukwu a.k.a. Daddy Seth who sustained a bullet wound was later confirmed dead by a doctor and the remain deposited at the morgue.
“One Ugomsinachi Maxwell was arrested unhurt, two other suspects escaped with bullet wounds, while one unregistered black Toyota Highlander 2003 model was recovered.
“The arrested suspect, a native of Enugu State who resides at No. 15, Olusesi Street, Ejigbo Lagos, when interrogated, claimed he only knew one of the fleeing suspects, Chidera, as a truck-pusher at Ladipo Spare Parts Market sometime in 2022.”
The statement noted that the suspect had been previously arrested for unlawful possession of firearms in April 2023.
