Internal security team of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) has arrested a Professor’s son known as Jerry and two others, David and Paul for allegedly stealing a Hilux engine worth two million naira.
They were arrested inside the University of Calabar Staff Quarters by university’s security personnel, led by the Chief Security Officer, Cpt Augustine Bisong (retd.), last weekend
According to Cpt Bisong, the engine was bought to replace a bad one in a vehicle that belongs to a principal officer of the school before it was stolen from the mechanic workshop in the staff quarters
According to him, the suspects stole and sold the engine, “From our investigation, we confirmed that the suspects stole the engine. We have identified the buyer and other accomplices who took the engine out from the University.
“The buyer of the “tokunbo Toyota Hilux engine at Bogobri and the vehicle/driver’s used in moving the engine out from the University have been identified.”
“So far, we have arrested three persons, we are also on the trail of other suspects involved in the engine theft and other related damage to critical infrastructure of the university.
“The ones arrested have been terrorising members of the university community, stealing car batteries, armoured cables and vandalising street light to get their batteries.
“We have been on surveillance for two weeks after the Hilux engine was stolen, and we have been on their trail before they were arrested. They have also named their receiver, a businessman at popular Bogobiri community of Hausa/Fulani in Calabar.
“We will hand them over to security agency for onward prosecution of the matter, but we want to seize this opportunity to warn all those who are in the university community who feel they can commit crime and go scot free. Ouur vigilant eyes are watching. We shall smoke them all out.
“We are serious about maintaining a zero-crime in the university community, and we shall leave no stone unturned in achieving this.
“We want to assure inhabitants to go about their lawful business without fear, we have the school community covered.”
David, one of the suspects who is from Benue State but resides in the University staff Quarters with his mother, said “We took the engine to Bogobiri. We sold it for N30,000 because we thought it was scrap metal. I am sorry because I will never get involved in such again.”
