A Capon’s Final Fall!

On Friday July 23, the decomposing corpse of Chika Arum, the most dreaded robbery king in Igboland, was paraded before the public at the Police Headquarters, Enugu.
Arum, alias, Ngwu Egere Omu (Invincible Being), was killed a week back, Friday July 17, in a gun duel with the police while escaping, alongside his notorious gang, from a bloody bank robbery in the sleepy university town of Nsukka in Enugu state.

An indigene of Akegbe-Ugwu community, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu state, Arum was, indeed, the capon of armed robbers in the southeast geo-political zone. (Pictures shows Chikla Arum's corpse)

Apart from being the god father of many a powerful robbery gang in the region for several years, Ngwu’s prominence, or was it notoriety, in the underworld derived from his expertise in coordinating successful bank robberies. The capon was, indeed, the Lord of Igbo Robbery syndicate, with the five southeast states as his exclusive robbery territory.

While he lasted, Ngwu was reputed to have, alongside his regularly armed-to-the-teeth gang, executed all the high profile bank robberies in the zone. The robbery lynchpin’s exploits cut across towns and communities, including Afikpo and Abakiliki in Ebonyi state; Nnewi, Onitsha and Awka in Anambra state, as well as in Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe in Imo state. The list, also, included Enugu and, of course, Nsukka.

In fact, Ngwu Egere Omu’s name evoked fear and trepidation in the hearts of Ndigbo who were conversant with his criminal exploits. He was almost a mythical creature. For instance, people were debarred from using their ell phones whenever and wherever Ngwu was having recreation with his men. An aide would swiftly move round to dispossess people of their mobile telephone handsets only to return after Ngwu had zoomed out of the scene.

Arum reached his apogee in armed banditry when he allegedly masterminded the gruesome murder of an Enugu police hero, Chris Onochie Ekoh (ASP), popularly called IG One Man Squad. Before his cold-blooded murder on September 20, 2007 by an armed gang reportedly procured by Arum, Ekoh fought armed robbers in Enugu state to a stand-still. Ekoh, indeed, routed men of the underworld in the Wawa state such that his name sent cold shivers down the spines of their ranks.

Before Ekoh was murdered, he was said to have had an open confrontation with Ngwu in the process of which the robbery giant told him that his days were numbered. Ngwu had accused Ekoh of recklessly killing members of his robbery gangs. And true to Ngwu’s threats, few days after, Ekoh was brutally murdered on Agbani Road in Enugu metropolis.

But no situation in life lasts for ever, as the dreaded bank robbery kingpin fell to the superior firepower of Nigeria following the gun battle. A combined team of police men from neighboring Enugu and Anambra states cracked down on his gang which had, in the early hours of that fateful day, visited terror on indigenes and residents of Nsukka, leaving behind sorrow, destruction and utter confusion.
This particular robbery operation claimed the life of Nsukka Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Joe Ejitaga (Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), and two other yet-be-identified cops.

It was learnt that several thousands of bullets were wasted in the operation by the robbers who reportedly numbered over 30. The hoodlums raided four banks, shot a manager of one of the banks and left several others seriously wounded, including a commercial motorcycle operator who was hit on the chest by a stray bullet. The raided banks included Intercontinental, Oceanic, Fidelity and Bank PHB.

The robbers had stormed the four new generation banks in Nsukka town, broke into the bank vaults, and carted away sums of money running into several millions of naira. It was after the bank operation that the bandits turned their armory towards Nsukka Divisional Police Station. And having freed all the detainees in the cell, the gang blew up the station with what seemed like an inflammable substance and hand grenade.

Ngwu’s men, subsequently, set property, including vehicles and machines in the station ablaze. Armed with automatic rifles, the magazine was told that they robbers invaded Nsukka town in three vehicles, including a bus, a 406 Peugeot car and a Hilux patrol van. The patrol van mounted on one end of the road from where gun shots boomed endlessly.

Forcing their way into the four banks, gun shots, understandably, sent customers and bank workers scampering for safety while the bandits helped themselves from the banks’ vaults. Also, authorities of the University of Nigeria temporarily put the Nsukka campus of the university under lock and key for as long as the robbery lasted.

DPO Ejitaga, an indigene of Delta state, met his heart-rending death when he led an enforcement of policemen to the scene. Bullets fired by the hoodlums readily killed Ejitaga. The DPO’s lifeless body lay at the point he was shot until the robbers finished their raids before it was removed. He was, nonetheless, rushed to Nnaji Specialist Hospital, Odenigbo where he was confirmed dead before his remains were moved to Bishop Shanaham mortuary.

The ill-fated DPO served as Commander of NITEL Taskforce in Igbo-Etiti before he was, a month ago, transferred to Nsukka Divisional Police Station to replace Ike Mba who was on transfer to Zamfara state in controversial circumstances. Mba’s transfer was occasioned by a protest, in May this year, to that effect by the Catholic Church and human rights groups in the area accusing him of hobnobbing with criminals.

Confirming the DPO’s murder, Ebere Amareizu, Enug state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) explained that DPO Ejitaga was taken unawares by the robbers who laid ambush for him.

Interestingly, less than 24 hours after the millennial raid, the police arrested three of the bandits, killing two, including the awesome Arum.

A joint police team had trailed the fleeing robbers, and eventually caught up with them at Adani in Uzo-Uwani area towards Anambra state. The police operatives recovered N4.5m from the bandits, included other items namely: one rocket launcher; one AK-47, one riot gunner, 1,500 rounds of 7.65 mm bullets, 2,000 rounds of .9mm ammunition, mobile police uniforms, army camouflage uniform, 50 empty AK-47 magazines, one white Jilux pick-up van, one red Volvo car, L-300 bus belonging to Igbo-Etiti LGA, Malta Guinness vehicle, a bus loaded with different kinds of charms.

As the man-hunt for the remaining bandits continue, police authorities vow to fight hoodlums holding Igboland and environs hostage.