Operatives of the Delta Police Command have arrested a syndicate of church burglars and recovered a cache of musical instruments from the suspects in Delta State.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bright Edafe, in a statement on Sunday, said Orerokpe Divisional Police Headquarters arrested two suspects for their infamous strings of church break-ins.
He said police received information on November 17, 2023 at about 4:00p.m of a break-in at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Dominion Mega Parish, where several church musical instruments were carted away from the church.
He said sequel to the report, the DPO Orerokpe Division, CSP Paul Obaware, led his operatives to assess the scene of the crime after which an operation was planned and executed on the strength of the items that were carted away.
According to him, on November 19, one Patrick Emete posted one of the stolen amplifiers for sale on his Facebook page.
Lying-in-wait detectives, he stated, swiftly offered to buy the said item, lured and trailed the suspect to Effurun Roundabout in Uvwie Local Government Area where he was apprehended at about 1:30p.m of the same date.
Edafe noted that following the confession of the 36-year-old apprehended suspect, Patrick Emete of Ughoton Community, one of his associates, Alex Uwagbafor, aged 45 years of New Era Clinic Deco Road, Warri, was also arrested.
He further disclosed that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were notorious and unrepentant thieves who specialized in burgling churches, shops, and homes.
He mentioned items recovered from the suspects to include: are 20 big loudspeakers, three generating sets; 15 large mixers amplifiers, four keyboards, 12 power amplifiers; 10 industrial standing fans, one complete drum set, one guitar and one power mic.
Other recovered items from the burglars included: two standing freezers, two plasma televisions, two home theatres, one watching machine, three stabilizers, three handsaws, one clipper, one microwave,one small oven and one gas cylinder.
In the same vein, DSP Edafe said another cleric also lodged a complaint that his church was burgled and consequently, on November 30, at about 4:32p.m, the same suspects admitted and further led police operatives to Eburu Street, Warri, where more stolen items were recovered.
The recovered items, according to him, included 11 big loudspeakers, five professional power amplifiers, six professional mixers, one Serato DJ deck, one Pioneer DJ deck, and one plasma TV.
Other items recovered were four big generating sets, one generating set without a tank, one power microphone set, one projector, two sets of English mini drums, and one big stabilizer.
He, however, disclosed that efforts were ongoing to recover more stolen items from the suspects who are in custody awaiting prosecution.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
