An ex-soldier, Godwin Chukwuemeka, has been arrested by the Imo State Police Command over alleged involvement in the jailbreak at the Imo Correctional Centre in April.
Chukwuemeka was paraded on Monday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, by Mike Abatam, Special Adviser on Media to the state Commissioner of Police.
Recall that the Imo correctional centre and Imo State Police Command headquarters were attacked on April 5.
The Nigerian Correctional Service(NCoS) later confirmed that 1,844 prisoners escaped from the correctional centre.
Some of the escapees have however either returned willingly or been arrested.
Speaking on Chukwuemeka’s arrest, Abatam described him as a notorious criminal that has been committing many heinous crimes in Imo.
He described the 35-year-old ex-soldier as an Army deserter that was posted to the North-East but fled and was dismissed.
Despite his dismissal, Abatam said, Chukwuemeka continued to use military insignia as if he was still in service.
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“Following reliable information, tactical teams of the Imo command stormed the hideout of a notorious suspected criminal in the Owerri Nekede area, where one Godwin Chukwuemeka, aka Match and Die, 35, was arrested inside the ceiling of his residence.
“The suspect is alleged to be a dismissed soldier of the Nigerian Army. On interrogation, he confessed to being among the hoodlums, who attacked the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and the Correctional Centre, Owerri, earlier this year.
“Meanwhile, the following items were recovered from the suspect: a cut-to-size double-barrelled gun, a black browning pistol, two live cartridges, one expended cartridge, military camouflage and desert boots.
“The Commissioner of Police urged the officers and men of the command to sustain the tempo of the moment. He commends the good people of the state for their support and solicits an all-society approach to improve security in the state.”
Chukwuemeka, who spoke to reporters, said he fled the military because of insurgency in the North-East.
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