Suspected Phone Thief Apprehended In Bayelsa

The suspect, Namibia Jacob Agese

The Bayelsa State Vigilante Security outfit has apprehended a suspected serial phone thief after dispossessing one Victoria James of her phone and belongings in Yenagoa.

It was gathered that a team of the State Vigilante stationed at the popular Tombia-Etegwe Roundabout apprehended the suspect identified as Namibia Jacob Agese, a member of the greenlanders cult group, a day after the said crime was committed.

The 25-year-old suspect from Delta State, who has confessed to the crime, was arrested on Monday evening, February 21, barely 24hrs after he and one of his gang members, now at large, succeeded in carrying out the crime.

Agese ran out of luck when the lady spotted him and raised the alarm that drew the attention of the men of the state vigilante who apprehended him.

According to the victim, about 7pm on Sunday, while on her way to see a sister of her's who resides at the Tombia roundabout axis, she was accosted by two stern looking young men who threatened her to hand over her phone.

"After collecting my phone, I begged and brought out money in exchange for the phone, which they collected but still went ahead to collect my phone and ran away. It was at that point, I started shouting but couldn't get help," the victim narrated.

"The next morning being monday I decided to come back to meet the state vigilante men to complain and they asked me to move round the Tombia axis and tactically see if I could by luck identify any of the boys and report back to them.

"Luckily for me, when i checked round the area and decided to move towards the Imiringi road junction, on getting there, I saw one of the boys that robbed me. I quickly rushed back to the vigilante men and told them. At that point they, technically move to the area and that was how he was arrested."

The suspect confessed to be a member of the greenlanders cult group and also disclosed that the phone is with his crime partner who is now at large.

The Chairman of the state vigilante service, Hon. Doubiye Alagba, before handling over the suspect to the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the Bayelsa State Police Command, disclosed that the suspect is amongst those terorising the Tombia-Etegwe axis of the state before the vigilante restored calmness.

"Upon his arrest, we have had series of resident who saw him and identified him as a notorious criminal who has been arrested severally and will not quit crime,"Alagba stated.

"Barely a day after the suspect and his partner allegedly stole the mobile phone and escaped, the suspect was nabbed on Monday by our galant men in same location.

"Let me use this medium to make this clear to these criminals who think the state vigilante will be tired of our operations at the Tombia roundabout axis and other flashpoints in the state, that our operations will last beyond their imagination

"It's either they leave the state, turn a new leaf or we will continue to clamp down on them and arrest them".