Police arrest two suspected robbers on 2nd Niger Bridge

The police in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria, say they have arrested two suspects who were allegedly robbing some residents of their valuables on the newly commissioned Second Niger Bridge in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said the suspects were arrested last week.

Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said a police team which was on surveillance patrol on the bridge to prevent vandals from stealing expansion joints was alerted to activities of the hoodlums near the Obosi end of the bridge.

“The covert police team monitored the gang and swooped in on them arresting two of the gangsters while others fled,” he said.

The police spokesperson said when the suspects were searched, two daggers and five sim cards removed from previously stolen phones, were recovered from them.

The suspects were between 20 and 22 years old. While one hails from Enugu State, the second suspect hails from Ebonyi State, another states in the South-east, according to the police.

The Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, commended the police team for their vigilance and courage in confronting the gang, Mr Ikenga said.

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Mr Adeoye has directed that owners of the recovered sim cards be located in order to assemble evidence for successful prosecution of the arrested suspects.

The bridge

The Second Niger Bridge was commissioned on 23 May by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The bridge was later named after Mr Buhari by Governors of the South-east region.

The construction of the new bridge began on 1st September 2018.

The bridge spans from Asaba in Delta State, South-south Nigeria to Ozubulu, Ogbaru and other communities in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria.

The first Niger Bridge, linking Onitsha and Asaba, was completed in 1965 and built by the French construction company, Dumez.