Police Confirm Arrest of Suspected Vandals at Abia Government Palm Estate

The Zone 9 police command in Umuahia, Abia State, has confirmed the apprehension of three suspected vandals who looted essential equipment from a palm oil plantation owned by the Abia state government in Okon Aku community, Ohafia council area.

The palm oil plantation, established in 1961 by the Eastern Region Estate Investment (EREI) during Dr. Michael Okpara’s tenure as the premier of the defunct Eastern region, has been a target of continued vandalism despite warnings to trespassers to stay away.

Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bruno Iheanetu, verified the arrests, explaining that the suspects were caught by soldiers who then handed them over to the police. The state government had lodged a complaint about the ongoing vandalism of vital equipment at the plantation.

The suspects’ luck ran out when they were caught in the act of vandalizing an oil processing machine on the plantation. Their arrest was made possible thanks to a tip-off from local hunters to the soldiers on patrol.According to military sources, the soldiers intercepted the vandals as they were loading the stolen equipment onto a waiting lorry. The suspects are currently under interrogation, and the investigation is ongoing. The PPRO stated that the state government’s complaint through the House of Assembly prompted the police action.