By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

An alleged serial criminal by name Ezugwu, who is said to have severally vandalized the Awka, Anambra State office of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), was over the weekend arrested by a combined team of private security operatives.

One of the private security personnel who spoke on condition of anonymity said Ezugwu was caught inside the office stealing items when suddenly an item he was carrying fell on the floor and made loud noise.

The source said: “It was the noise that attracted one of the security who then alerted other private security operatives around the neighborhood.

“When he heard the noise, he peeped and saw someone who ran towards the back of the office.

“Few minutes later, we entered the office and saw computer, wires, electrical accessories and other materials littered at theplace and some already arranged and tired.

”We equally saw his footprints and followed it and saw from where he scaled the fence and jumped across to government house.

“This now made us to alert the Security Officer (SO) at the Government House Awka who then mobilized police with him and we all conducted painstaking search before we caught Ezugwu hiding at a corner you would hardly believe that a human being would enter."

According to the source, it was thereafter that Ezugwu went and showed them where he had kept some items he hid in the bush which he removed from NAN office.

“This was what prompted the Security Officer to telephone the head of NAN office on the situation and later took the suspect to B Division of Nigeria Police Force Awka.

A Security Officer with Government House Awka, Mr Friday Agbo, while corroborating the account by the private security personnel, said that his Chief Security Officer had advised them to ensure adequate security in and around the government house.

Agbo further said he handed the suspect to B Division of Nigeria Police Force Awka for further investigations into the matter.

Speaking on the matter, the State Correspondent, NAN Awka, Mr Francis Onyeukwu, expressed shock at the number of attacks by hoodlums at the office.

He said the agency had lost virtually all its property to criminals.

Onyeukwu added: “Apart from computers and other electrical accessories, the suspect vandalized the galaxy backbone internet facility which is worth more than N10 million, as well as materials used for ceiling.”

Obiukwu recalled that about a month ago,the hoodlums came and dismantled and stole a soundproof generator worth more than N3.5 million in addition to three units of window split air conditioners refrigerator among others”, he said.

He further lamented the incessant cases of attacks at the Awka office, saying: “Between Aug. 2018 and Oct. 2023, the office recorded more than twelve cases of vandalism.

“You cannot believe that criminals have disconnected and stole all the wires/fittings used in wiring the entire place and well stolen the television, radio and some furniture”, he said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga in his reaction expressed shock at the development.

He however expressed happiness that police personnel were able to effect the arrest of the criminal, assuring that adequate investigation would be conducted in the matter.