The Police in Akwa Ibom State said they have secured 23 convictions for various offenders between January and July 2025.
The convictions were secured under the leadership of Baba Azare, who assumed duties as the 34th commissioner of police in the oil-rich state in late 2024.
|
|
“The convictions, ranging from a minimum of two weeks to three years imprisonment, were for offences such as stealing, assault, burglary, felony, and escape from lawful custody,” the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Timfon John, said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.
Ms John, a deputy superintendent of police, said the outcomes reflect the command’s intensified efforts in crime prevention, professional investigation, and effective prosecution.”
|
|
|
|---|
She said Mr Azare, since assuming office, has introduced enhanced community policing, rapid response mechanisms, and officers’ retraining for effective service delivery.
The police have recorded several breakthroughs in combating crimes in Akwa Ibom, which Ms John said has resulted in a drop in the crime rate.
In a statement sent to this newspaper on Monday, the police spokesperson said operatives in the state arrested a “serial ATM thief and fraudster.”
The suspect, Chibuzor Amaechi, according to the police, “specialises in swapping unsuspected bank customers’ ATM cards and illicitly withdrawing their funds.”
ALSO READ: Police arrest suspected thief, cultists in Akwa Ibom
Mr Amaechi, who hails from Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers state, was arrested on Saturday. The police said seven different ATM cards were recovered from him.
Three days ago, this newspaper reported how the police foiled an armed robbery attack in the state, killing one suspect.
The incident came after police operatives arrested electrical transformer vandals, with a human skull recovered from one of them.
