From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
RESPITE has come the way of the family of Mr. Fidelis Egugbo, a practicing journalist in Asaba, Delta State, following the arrest of a member of a suspected gang believed to be responsible for series of criminal raids on his residence.
Egugbo is the Government House Bureau chief of The Pointer newspaper, a daily publication owned by the state government.
Egugbo and his family have be at the mercy of the suspected burglars who have raided his home at will, until last weekend when the police responded to a distress call that necessitated the recovery of some of the items used by the burglars who raided the residence on the fateful day.
According to Egugbo, the presence of the thieves was noticed at about 3am, following the sound of something, apparently, his electricty generator, dropped from the fence. When he came out, he noticed that the thieves had also removed the battery of his car.
“It has become embarrassing to be reporting regularly that my house was attacked by thieves. They have collected my laptop, phones, generator sets, jewelery and other valuables at different occasions, but what can we do?
“After every attack, we took measures to boost security. People have come to our aid in different ways, especially through prayers, and it is a thing of joy that one of the thieves has been apprehended. We hope that, with the interest of the police in carrying out a thorough job, others will be apprehended and stolen items recovered.
“The police control room responded promptly despite the fact that it was very early in the morning. The operation team, led by ASP Ralph Ejairu of Team 017, Koka Junction, led to actions that necessitated the arrest of the suspect.
“Officers at the Akwuofu Police Post have also displayed professionalism in their job and are working seriously to unravel the mysteries behind the several raids and recover stolen items,” Egugbo said.
The public relations officer of the state command, Andrew Aniamaka, could not be reached to confirm the report at the time of filing this report but a dependable police source said the suspect in custody was not the kingpin. He noted that the ringleader and the informant were still at large.