A notorious armed robbery suspect, Ubong Imoh Frank, has escaped from police custody in Akwa Ibom State.
The bandit was arrested last week during a robbery attack on St. Patrick Quasi Catholic Parish Obio Ndot in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The Next Edition learnt that Ubong Frank escaped from the police cell last Friday night through the roof.
Frank was caught, beaten and handed to Ikot Uboh Police Station, Oruk Anam Divisional Headquarters, last Tuesday, when his members, a four-man robbery gang, stormed the Catholic church the second time.
It was further gathered that the other three members of his gang however escaped.
A resident of Obio Ndot village who pleaded not to be mentioned said on Monday that the robbers attacked the church three Sundays ago and made away with all the money realized during the harvest
“Last Tuesday about 12 midnights the robbers attacked the same Catholic parish again. But this time they did not go through the gate. The security men said they jumped the wall from behind the church to enter the premises.
“They did not know that after that first attack the parish decided to beef up their security by engaging three additional security men because there was only one security man positioned at the gate the first time the gang robbed the parish.
“So when they attacked last week Tuesday one of the security men spotted them early enough and raised the alarm.
“Ubong Imoh Frank was caught while he was attacking the security man that alerted others but the other three managed to escape as other security men chased after them. Even outsiders came and joined the security men to beat up Frank.
“In fact their intention was to beat him to death but the church intervened. So, the security men engaged by the church handed him over to the police.
“But last week Friday we heard that he had escaped. As I am speaking with you there is serious controversy among police officers at that station over the incident,” the source said.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zubairu Muazu, when contacted said the DPO of Oruk Anam division who informed him through a text message said that no armed robbery suspect escaped from their custody.
The DPO’s letter which the CP forwarded reads: “Good afternoon sir, no armed robbery suspect escaped from Oruk Anam division. Rather there was a case of stealing of an aluminum zinc at Ikot Uboh police post in which the arrested suspect was said to have escaped from custody on August 28, 2017.
“The ASP in charge did not report the incident until the station officer who took over from him on September 1, 2017 told me. I have liaised with the locals for a re-arrest of the suspect while those on duty have been defaulted.”
