Four suspects have been arrested as Akwa Ibom State-owned firefighting trucks missing from her Fire Service were found leased to multinational firms in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by suspected staff of the service.
The state Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, who briefed and paraded the suspects on recent operational successes scored by the command, said, yesterday, in Uyo that each of the fire equipment was leased at N140,000 per day in a deal struck since 2021.
Azare accused the suspects of conspiracy/stealing, adding: “Based on credible information from a Good Samaritan that four of the state fire service trucks were stolen and taken to Port Harcourt by some officials of the service, the command moved to recover the said trucks.
“Further investigation revealed the fire trucks were leased out to some multinational companies at the rate of N140,000 per truck per day for initial period of three years.
“The company link’s share (of the deal) 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 to expiration of the deal, the command acted and recovered the vehicles. The four suspects arrested would be charged to court soon while the trucks will be released to the government to continue to serve the people of the state while we continue to look for others at large.”
In another operation, the CP said: “We have arrested one Prosper Jim and one Uduak Benson for vandalization of a transformer belonging to Sure Foundation Polytechnic, Ikot Atai, Ukanafun Local Government Area of the state.
“Transformer oil valued at N800,000 was drained, and armored cables valued at N3.5 million were stolen.
“The command recovered the transformer, armored cables with items suspected to be juju from the suspects, who will soon be charged to court.”
In one case of sodomy, he narrated that, “On January 8, 2025, the command received information over a 13-year-old child reportedly being raped repeatedly for about three years by about four different men.
“Operatives of the command swung into action immediately and arrested one Okwudili Okeke AKA Eze ‘m’ aged 34 years, Idara Daniel ‘m’ (23), David James ‘m’ (23), Udofia Udosen ‘m’ (29), David Bassey ‘m’ (26), and Daniel Edet ‘m’, aged 30.
“Investigation revealed that Okwudili Okeke was recruited into sodomy and has been into it in the state. This is a crime against humanity and will not be condoned. Suspects will soon be prosecuted after completion of investigation.”
