Ex-convict arrested for fresh theft, seven days after completing jail term for theft

The police in Delta State have arrested an ex-convict for an alleged fresh motorcycle theft seven days after serving a two-year sentence for stealing a motorcycle.

In a video sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, the police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, said the suspect went back to commit the same offence six days after he finished serving his two-year jail term at Ogwashi-Ukwu Correctional Centre in the state.

Mr Edafe, a superintendent of police, said the ex-convict was one of the five suspects arrested by the Eagle Net Special Squad of the command.

“One of them happened to be an ex-convict. The story is pathetic because he just came back from prison for a similar offence. He is an expert in stealing bikes,” Mr Edafe said in the video, showing the motorcycle allegedly stole by the suspect.

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Mr Edafe said operatives, executing a search warrant, recovered other items, including a generator, from another suspect who allegedly “pushed” the ex-convict to steal the motorcycle.

“According to the ex-convict, the suspect, whose house the police recovered other items from, had earlier sold a stolen motorcycle to him, and was arrested with the motorcycle recovered,” he said.

In the video, the ex-convict identified himself as Precious. Only his voice could be heard in the video.

“It is the same motorcycle issue, sir,” he responded when asked why he was imprisoned for two years.

Asked why he has not repented after serving his jail term, Precious said the man (new suspect), whom he identified as Mohammed, heard that he had been released, “tied him, asking him to steal another motorcycle for him, to replace the one he lost before.”

Precious said the police recovered the earlier one that he sold to Mr Mohammed, the reason Mr Mohammed asked him to “go steal” another one as a replacement after he was out from prison.

“This one na where them park am I go tif am,” he said in pidgin English. “As I tif am, disconnect am, where I dey try move, na em one boy catch me.

“My slippers fall, as I say, make I go carry my slippers, the security man saw me, tell me say make I wait. I no fit lie for him. I tell am say na tif I go tif am for person house,” he said in the video, explaining how he was caught.

Precious, 27, identified the other four suspects with their nicknames. “This one wetin dem de call am na Yellow, this one na Black,” he said

The police spokesperson, Mr Edafe said in the video that the command has recorded a surge in reported cases of burglary and stealing.

“There are people who are professional receivers. What they do is to receive and sell at a cheap price,” he said, stressing that when there is no receiver (someone who buys stolen items), there will be no one to steal because nobody will buy the stolen items.

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Other arrests

The incident occurred a day after the police in the state arrested a suspected armed robber and a cultist, and recovered arms from them.

Operatives in the command had on 10 August recovered a stolen Mercedes Benz and arrested a suspect, Chinedu Eze, whom the police said claimed ownership of the vehicle.

“Investigation revealed that the vehicle was registered in April 2023 and registered again in 2025. This prompted the police to contact the first person who registered the vehicle, where it was revealed that it was snatched at gunpoint in April 2023 in Abakpa, Enugu State,” Mr Edafe had said.