The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old suspect, Emmanuel Etim, over the alleged theft of an industrial block moulding machine vibrator valued at about N2 million.
Police said the equipment was stolen from the Ikot Ekpene International Market project site along the Calabar–Itu Road.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, said detectives launched an investigation after receiving a report of the theft.
The statement said Etim was arrested while allegedly attempting to dispose of the stolen machine. The equipment has since been recovered, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the suspected theft syndicate.
According to the police, the suspect was apprehended during a coordinated operation based on intelligence gathered by investigators.
In a separate operation, the command also arrested 46-year-old Nsidibe Benson for allegedly vandalising facilities at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua.
Police said Benson was arrested on July 19 after a resident alerted officers to suspicious activities at one of the institution’s buildings.
Items allegedly recovered from him include cut-to-size aluminium window frames and electrical cables believed to have been removed from the school.
The police added that the suspect confessed during interrogation, while investigations are continuing to identify and arrest other members of the alleged vandalism gang.
Commissioner of Police Baba Mohammed Azare commended residents for providing timely information that led to the arrests.
He assured the public of the command’s commitment to protecting lives, property and public infrastructure, urging residents to continue reporting suspicious activities to help combat crime across the state.
