A three-member gang responsible for a series of bank robberies in the state has been smashed by Akwa Ibom Police Command.
Hycent Loveday Bright, one of the three-member gang paraded by the Akwa Ibom police command, denied hanging around banks before robbing customers that he normally enters the bank, pick up tellers, fill them while monitoring those withdrawing huge sums.
The 31-year-old father of three also denied being arrested with arms, but with N500, 000, claiming “I was arrested not with arms but with N500, 000. I robbed a customer of First Bank of the money. Somebody withdrew and misplaced the money, so I picked it up from where he left the money. I just started this business about a year ago.
“I have not killed any of my victims. I don’t rob banks but only the banks customers. And I don’t hang around bank premises. If somebody withdraws money, I will know but I don’t use charms. I enter the bank, and pretend to be filling tellers while waiting for those who will withdraw large sums. I know how much each person will withdraw.
Bright said, “As at 2013, I used to vandalise oil pipelines at Onega in Rivers state. I used some of the money I made to establish business like a boutique in Eket.”
Parading the suspects Monday in Uyo, Zubairu Muazu, the Commissioner of Police, said Hycent Loveday Bright, Menford Austine and John Usam Chibueze, were arrested on November 3, 2017 at Eket, following a sustained monitoring after they had robbed a person of N1 million, which the victim withdrew from a bank in Eket.
“Our Team at Eket received a distress call that a robbery was going on at Food Affairs, opposite First Bank in Eket.
“One Nkereuwem Bassey Akpan, withdrew the sum of N1 million from First Bank, Eket, and was trailed and blocked by the suspects before robbing the victim of the said amount,” Muazu said.
He said items recovered from the suspects include: one Toyota Avalon with registration number NCH 28 ST with ignition key.
Other items were: cash in the sum of N521, 300, one Techno phone, and ATM cards.
The commissioner said that the leader of the gang, Hycent Bright, was based in Eket while the other gang members usually came to the state from Rivers.
