Police in Enugu State have apprehended two suspects, who specialised in snatching tricycles in Enugu and its environs.
They have reportedly killed seven tricycle riders. Briefing journalists yesterday at the state Command Headquarters, the Commissioner of Police, Nwodibo Ekechukwu, gave the names of the suspects as Kennedy Ihunegbo and Nonso Azubuike. According to him, Ihunegbo and Azubuike escaped arrest at Keffi in Nasarawa State and relocated to Enugu in January.
The commissioner said that the suspects, initially were killing commercial motorcycle riders in Abuja, but in 2014 they spread their operations to Nasarawa State and had stolen several motorcycles mainly in Ado area of the state. Ekechukwu said the suspects commenced operations in January by snatching tricycles at gunpoint on Ogui Road, Mosque area.
According to him, they would ask the rider to take them to their purported building site at Ugwuaji, off the Enugu- Port Harcourt Expressway. He said: “The modus operandi of the duo was to ask each tricycle operator conveying them to drop them at their purported building site, normally in a lonely place.
They would then request the operator to carry blocks for them in the tricycle, to another location. They would then hit the tricycle operator in the head with a very big hammer repeatedly as he bend to carry the block until he dies. “This was the method used in killing their seven victims on two dates in January and March at various times of the days. “In an instance, the head of victim was shattered.
The two would then take away the victim’s tricycle and sell it. They forged a dealer’s receipt of DON Investment Limited, Nnewi, to convince prospective buyers to purchase the tricycles.”
According to him, the seven tricycles were sold between N250,000 and N350,000. Ekechukwu listed items recovered from the suspects to include the seven stolen TVS tricycles, one Ford car with registration number AJ 656 EKJ, the big hammer used in killing their victims, a shovel used in digging shallow graves to bury victims. Explaining that the suspects were luring out non-Igbo speaking tricycle riders apparently to avoid the operators understanding their conversations in Igbo language.
Statingthatoneof thesuspects,Kennedy Ihunegbo took ill and was taken to Enugu state University Teaching Hospital parklane,unfortunately he died while receiving treatment on the. 19th march,2016. The suspect’s corps has been deposited at the University of Nigeria teaching hospital mortuary,Ituku Ozalla, Enugu.
