Lobe Cooperative bank robbery:

Four suspects arrested

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

The Divisional Officer, DO of Ekondo-Titi, Edwin NkenyaNgwana and the Lobe Brigade Commander Adjoudant Chef Ediage have in a joint attempt arrested four out of the six suspected armed bandits that robbed Lobe Cooperative Credit Union of FCFA 36.4 Million two a week ago. The four arrested suspects include; Eyong Simon Kenda, the gang driver, Sarah, the Lobe Credit Union Accountant considered as the chief organizer of the theft, the night watchman and NguteNkwencha Rudolf, Pupils Inspector of police from the Mutengene Police College.

                According to the Divisional Officer Edwin NkenyaNgwana when the bandits arrived the town they started by attacking the house of the accountant, Sarah and later moved to the Lobe credit Union Office where the doors. He revealed the doors of the Credit union were not properly locked alongside the safe in which the money was kept. He noted even the safe of the credit union was locked only on with a single lock instead of two as it has always been the case.

                Sources close to the credit union revealed that they saw people around the credit union with police uniform and as such the considered them to be police men in their normal night patrols. We gathered that the police uniform that was used by the bandits we gathered was provided by the pupil’s police inspector, NguteNkwencha Rudolf, in order to fasten the operation.

                The DO revealed after the arrest of one of the suspects, Eyong Simon at his residence at Bogongo I, he disclosed that the gang had been in his house for three days mapping out strategies together with Sarah the Union accountant. He exposed the said Sarah is a girlfriend to their gang leader, Tegha Gideon a native of Bogongo.

                He narrated that Sarah the accountant is the brain behind the theft as she told them of the said amount of money in their keeping. We learnt that the strategy to steal the money was made easy by the boyfriend of Sarah, the accountant whose who himself is a thief and the gang leader.

                The Eyong Simon Kenda was arrested by the Brigade Commander Adjoudant Chef Ediage after a serious fight in which Simon chopped off his hand and the sum of FCFA 2.980.000 million was recovered from his house as his own part of the booty.

                While the other four arrested and helping the forces of law and order in investigations their gang leader Tegha Gideon, Enoh, and Danis are still on the run. We gathered that most youths of Marumba are grouchy against the DO for been a hindrance to their activities. Out of the 36.4 Million stolen, only 2.980 000 million has been recovered. With the arrest of the four suspected bandits, the population of Ekondo-Titi has now hived a sigh of relief while pending investigations to arrest the other two on the run.