By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Anambra State Police Command has arrested two men over alleged theft of a blue Toyota Camry belonging to a 90-year-old retired Professor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State.

According to a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the suspects, identified as Umeh Thankgod, 32, and Sunday Ozor, 24, were arrested on Wednesday evening, October 28, at the Old Spare Parts Market, Mgbuka, Obosi, in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

He added that the operatives also recovered the stolen vehicle.

The statement issued on Sunday, November 1, explained that the arrest followed a distress alert from the operatives of the Anambra State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) who detected irregularities while verifying the vehicle’s registration particulars in Awka.

According to the police spokesman, the FRSC personnel promptly alerted the police, leading operatives attached to the State Intelligence Department (SID) to move in and arrest the two suspects at the market, where the vehicle was also recovered.

The statement partly read, “Preliminary investigations showed that the Toyota Camry was stolen on September 29, 2026, from the residence of the 90-year-old retired professor in Enugu State.

“The victim was subsequently contacted by the police and positively identified the recovered vehicle as his property.

“In his account to the police, the elderly man disclosed that the vehicle was stolen from his compound with the alleged assistance of his gateman, identified as Bassey Etim, who is currently at large.”

Ikenga noted that efforts were ongoing to track down the fleeing gateman and establish the full circumstances surrounding the theft, including the alleged roles played by the two arrested suspects.

In his reaction, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, reportedly commended the FRSC personnel for their vigilance and prompt reporting, which he acknowledged, led to the recovery of the vehicle and arrest of the suspects.

According to the police spokesman, the Commissioner emphasised the importance of inter-agency collaboration, timely information sharing and coordinated responses among security and law enforcement agencies in preventing and detecting crime, recovering stolen property and ensuring public safety.

Meanwhile, the Police Spokesman said the two suspects were currently in custody as investigations continued, even as they continue to intensify efforts to apprehend the fleeing gateman.