ABUJA- The police yesterday in Abuja paraded two officials of Intercontinental Bank Plc, two staff of Bullion Movement Company (MBC) and eight others for alleged robbery.

The suspects on September. 17, allegedly robbed a bullion van conveying N215 million from the Onitsha branch of Intercontinental Bank to the Central Bank of Nigeria in Awka.

The suspects include the bank’s Head of Cash Management Unit, Emmanuel Umuna, and its Cash Officer, Ellis Enobakhere, while the BMC officials are Sunday Ekunife, the van’s driver, and Emeka Nnalugha.

Briefing the press on the incident, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, alleged that the four conspired with some armed robbers to hijack the money in transit at a spot along the Onitsha-Enugu expressway.

“After Enugu-Agidi junction, the convoy was stopped and purportedly robbed by the robbers, while in actual fact, they just handed over the money in the van to the robbers already positioned there,” Okiro said.

“Earlier, the group of robbers had raided the Awkuzu headquarters of SARS, with a view to killing all the policemen there and liberating their members who were arrested on September. 2 during the police raid on the Obanye shrine at Umuleri.

“During the shoot-out, seven members of the gang already in police custody were killed, while a police constable also lost his life,” he said.

The police officer who investigated the crime, Mr. Felix Kigigha, corroborated Okiro’s claims, saying that there were no bullet marks on the bullion van.

On how the suspects were arrested, Okiro said that information came to the police that the suspected robbers were extracting bullets from their bodies at a shrine in Aguleri.

“The police swung into action and arrested Ebenezer Eloka, the first suspect, whose confession led to the arrest of the other members of the gang and the recovery of some money and other exhibits,” he said.

The exhibits which were displayed included one Brownie pistol, six AK47 assault rifles, 867.35mm live ammunitions and empty AK47 magazines.

Others were one locally made gun, 19 live cartridges, 32 AK47 rifle magazines, containing 960 rounds of 56mm live ammunitions and a cash sum of N398,000.

Reports say the girl friend of the first suspect, Ifeoma Eloka, was among the suspects who were paraded by the police.

Narrating her ordeal, Ifeoma, who was pregnant, said that she did not know that Eloka was an armed robber, adding that she had always believed that he was an “Okada” operator.
“I got a phone call that Ebenezer, my boyfriend, had an accident and that I should bring clothing and some items for him at Aguleri.

“When I got there, I discovered it was a shrine and I insisted that he should be taken to the hospital for treatment.

“It was in the course of this argument that the police came and I was arrested,” she said.
The IG, however, ordered the immediate release of Ifeoma after listening to her story and seeing her condition.

Okiro also directed that money should be given to her to enable her to travel back to her home in the eastern part of the country.

The other suspected robbers are Azuka Maduamago, Augustine Okafor, Samuel Nwobu, Obinna Ibegbulam, Michael Chukwuezi and Nonso Nwaolisa.