Police Arrest Corps Member For Breaking Into Bank ATM

The Police in Kogi State have arrested a National Youths Service Corps member, Aka-Jude Tersoo, for breaking into the ATM platform of the Lokoja branch of the Ecobank Plc.

A statement issued on Tuesday in Lokoja by the state police command said Tersoo was arrested at about 2:30am while breaking the ATM machine along with another suspect, Godwin Idih.

The statement, which detailed achievements of the police command in March and April, said Tersoo and Idih were caught in the act by a police patrol team on duty, which promptly arrested them.

The incident happened on April 26.

The statement, signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP William Aya, said items recovered from the suspects included a digger, axe and one iron pipe.
Others are: six ATM cards of different banks belonging to individuals.

The statement said the police also arrested one Abimaje Yakubu, while attempting to collect N8.4 million with a cloned cheque across the counter of one of the commercial banks in Lokoja.

Police said the suspect, who hailed from Abocho, Dekina Local Government Area, had approached the bank with the aim of collecting the money from the account of one Victor Edomwande of FAVA Travels, Ikoyi, Lagos.

When contacted, the account owner denied issuing the cheque and the suspect was promptly held by the bank officials and later handed over to the police.

In another development, the police command said it had recovered eight vehicles believed to have been stolen from within and neighbouring states by one Yakubu Mohammed who is now at large.

According to the statement, the vehicles were recovered from their buyers who live in different parts of the state.

The details of the recovered vehicles are: a Toyota Carina with registration number Kogi AJK 397 AA; a Toyota Camry, Lagos, no: EKY 47 AW; Toyota Corolla, with no: Benue AY 58 MKD; Toyota Ballon, with no: Benue, AU 503 MKD; Toyota Ballon, with no: Lagos GGE 850 BV; Toyota Carina, no: Kaduna 903 ZAR; Toyota Carina wagon, no: FCT KWL 47 AW; and three other Toyota Camry and Carina cars without number plates.

Six persons believed to be buyers of the stolen vehicles have also been arrested by police, the statement said.

It said efforts were being made to track down Yakubu Mohammed, the main suspect.

Aya said the command had also arrested Ibrahim Taiwo and Owolabi Kayode for crude oil theft in Kabba area.

He said the two suspects were intercepted while trying to escape with 33,000 liters of crude oil suspected to have been siphoned into a truck from burst oil pipeline.

He said the truck, with registration number Lagos KTU 338 XK, was impounded by the police, while N195,000 cash was found on the suspects.

The Police spokesman said 18 robbery suspects and two burglars were also arrested within the same period.

He said the items recovered from the suspects included two AK47 rifles, one locally made pistol, charms, live and expended cartridges and 27 rounds of live ammunition.

Aya said all the suspects would be charged to court very soon.

NAN