security man, others arrested in Onitsha for stealing church’s musical equipment in Enugu

A security man employed by the Holy Ghost Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu has been arrested by the police for stealing musical instruments and other communication equipment belonging to the church.

The suspect, Chukwuebuka Onwe, was nabbed on June 5 , 2018, as he was transporting the stolen items , including amplifiers and speakers, to meet the prospective buyers in Anambra State .

It was gathered that Onwe had earlier absconded from his duty post at the cathedral after the police traced a stolen generator, also belonging to the church, to him.

After he was declared wanted over the missing generator, the suspect, said to be a native of Ebonyi State, escaped to an unknown destination.

His whereabouts was unknown until the police apprehended him with the stolen musical instruments along a road in Nkpor , Anambra State , on June 5 .

Spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the development on Friday, explained that the driver of a commercial bus, who Onwe paid to transport him and the stolen goods to Anambra State, gave the suspect away.

Amaraizu disclosed that, even before his arrest on June 5, Onwe had stolen about 15 musical instruments from the church, which he sold to the buyers in Anambra .

Narrating how Onwe was arrested, Amaraizu said, “On that fateful day (June 5) at about 4. 15 am, the suspect , who had earlier broken into the cathedral without being noticed to steal the remaining sets of musical instruments , contracted the driver of a commercial bus to take him to Nkpor , in Anambra State , where he would sell the items .

“But the driver was so observant and noticed the inscription ‘Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu’ on the speakers and other sound systems which Onwe loaded in the bus.

“The driver, who suspected that the items may have been stolen, contacted police operatives who arrested the suspect around Nkpor, in Anambra State.

“After arresting Onwe, the police operatives in Nkpor got in touch with the Central Police Station, Enugu, which has been investigating the suspect’s criminal activities.”