Police Kills Armed Robber In Imo State “Most Wanted”

The Imo State Police Command has said that its officers have shot and killed the state’s ‘most-wanted’ armed robber identified as Ihechi Nwankwo.
It was gathered that there was jubilation at the Command headquarters in Owerri after the corpse of Nwankwo was brought from Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
Speaking with Southern City News, the spokesman for the Imo State Police Command, Andrew Enwerem, said that the 27-year-old armed robber, who hailed from Amaumara in the Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area of the state, had been on the wanted list of the command for a long time.
According to him, Nwankwo had been involved in a series of criminal operations, including robbing a bank customer of N8m at Access Bank at Ahiara Junction on August 8.

The slain suspect was also said to have robbed one Jovita Enwerem of N650,000 at gunpoint at Ahiara Junction on June 21.

Enwerem said: “On September 28, the state police command control room was alerted to a robbery attack along Wetheral Road, Owerri.
“A customer of the Wetheral Road branch of Zenith Bank had gone to the bank to withdraw N50m. On their way, along Wetheral Road, they were confronted by a daredevil armed robbery gang operating with a grey colour Toyota Corolla with number plate ABJ 951AA that blocked the convoy and immediately opened fire on the police escorts.”

The police spokesman stated that the robbers engaged the cops in a gun duel but they were overpowered by the police.
He said three policemen, however, sustained gunshot injuries and were already being treated in the hospital.

He continued: “The criminals escaped from the robbery scene but their vehicle was riddled with bullets. We, however, contacted police in the neighboring states to be on the lookout.
“Subsequently, the criminals were intercepted in Umuahia, Abia State, where they engaged the operatives in a gun duel. One of the gang members was gunned down while the others escaped with bullet injuries and the ash colored Toyota Corolla car was also recovered.”

The police spokesman said investigation by the command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives revealed that the elder brother of the slain robber, one Chibuike Nwankwo, 42, and Chukwudi Obinwanne, a native of Ugiri in Isiala Mbano LGA of the state, were being held at SARS cell for bank robbery cases.
Source:360nobb