By Chris Moffat

The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested four suspects in connection with the theft of four Fire Service trucks belonging to the state Fire Service.

The state commissioner of police, CP Baba Azare, disclosed this during his maiden briefing held at the command?s headquarters, Ikot Akpan-Abia, Uyo, the state capital on Monday.

Azare said the suspects were arrested following credible information from a good Samaritan that the trucks were stolen and taken to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He added that the operatives swung into action and further investigation revealed that the trucks were leased out to some multinational companies at the rate of N140,000 per truck per day for an initial period of three years.

Azare said, ?Based on credible information from a Good Samaritan four of the state fire service trucks were stolen and taken to Port Harcourt, River State by some officials of the service.

?The Command moved to recover the said trucks and further investigation revealed that the fire trucks were leased out to some multinational companies at the rate of N140,000 per truck per day for an initial period of 3 years. The link company share was N80,000 while the fire service officials share stood at N60,000 per truck per day, the deal was done in 2021 and was expected to terminate by 2024.

?However, about two months before the expiration of the deal the command acted and recovered the vehicles. The four suspects arrested in the case will be charged in court soon while the trucks will be released to the Government to continue to serve the good people of the state while we continue to look for others at large.?

The commissioner of police who highlighted other breakthroughs recorded by the command within the period under review said that the command arrested two in connection with the vandalisation of transformers, six suspects arrested in connection with the raping of a 13- year?s old girl for three years while a director in the Ministry of Justice who was kidnapped was also rescued among others.

On vandalisation, Azare said that operatives have arrested two suspects in connection with the vandalisation of a transformer belonging to Sure Foundation Polytechnic situated at Ikot Atai, Ukanafun Local Government.

He revealed that the transformer oil valued at about N800,000.00 was drained, while armoured cables valued at about N3.5m were stolen.

He said, ?You may recall that during my first official visit to His Excellency the Executive Governor of the state, he decried the rising cases of vandalization of Public transformers and infrastructural facilities across the state.

?We have therefore stepped up our efforts to nip the crime and arrest the perpetrators of this act. To this note we have arrested one Prosper Brownson Jim and one Uduak Sunday Benson for vandalization of a transformer belonging to Sure Foundation Polytechnic situated at Ikot Atai, Ukanafun Local Government.

?Transformer Oil valued at about N800,000 was drained, and armoured cables valued at about N3.5m were stolen.?

Speaking on the rescue of a director in the state ministry of Justice, Azare said, ?On December 2024, a distress call was received that a Director with the Ministry of Justice, Akwa Ibom State, and his niece (name withheld) were kidnapped by five armed men. Our operatives in the Command immediately swung into action and busted the kidnappers? den in a thick forest located within Ikot Ukpong Village, Abak Local Government.

?A thorough search was conducted within the forest, and the victims were rescued unharmed from an abandoned soak-away. The victim?s car was also recovered by the police along Etinan Road where it had been abandoned.

?Also, the Toyota Sienna vehicle used to kidnap the victims was also recovered while 2 of the suspects were neutralised. Further Investigation led to the arrest of one Ability Etim Samuel (aged 45 years) and one David Vincent Samuel (aged

36 years).?

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