Police Smash Robbery Gang in Abia, Arrest Fugitive Suspect

The Abia State Police Command has tightened the noose on a robbery gang that has been terrorising students and residents of Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, with the arrest of one of its key members, Chukwujekwu Uzoedo, 26.

Uzoedo, from Uduma Ezinnachi in Okigwe, Imo State, was arrested on July 23 at about 9:40 a.m. by operatives of the Uturu Divisional Headquarters after weeks in hiding.

Police said the gang operated mostly at night, using motorcycles to trail victims before cornering them at isolated spots. Victims, mostly students, were threatened with dangerous weapons and robbed of valuables such as phones, laptops, and cash.

A statement by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Maureen Chinaka, on behalf of Commissioner of Police Danladi Isa, said stolen items recovered from the suspect include:

one HP laptop

four Android phones (Tecno, Itel, Infinix)

one iPhone 16

two earpods (black and white)

a motorcycle used for operations and escape

The command recalled that four members of the gang were earlier paraded on July 17, 2025, while Uzoedo was identified as a fleeing accomplice.

During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crimes and revealed the gang’s reliance on motorcycles as their main tool for surveillance, ambush, and getaway.

The police vowed to intensify manhunts for the remaining gang members still at large.