'ARMED ROBBERY AND PICK POCKETING THE ORDER OF THE DAY'- Aba residents lament

Residents of Aba, Abia State, Friday, lamented
over the resurgence of armed robbery and pick-
pocketing in some parts of the city, as robbers
now waylay traders and workers between 5am. to
6am. around Ngwa, St. Michaels, Azikiwe roads
and York Street.
According to reports, a cross section of traders at
the market have continued to record early
morning robbery incidents since some drug
dealers were sacked from their former abode at
York Street, calling on the police to beef up
security in the area.
One Christiana Peter, a trader at the ‘Good
Morning Market’ at Ngwa road, disclosed that she
was robbed of N7, 000 when she went to buy
goods from the market.
Likewise, a staff of a transport company, who
identified herself as Mrs. Pearl Ikechukwu, said
she lost over N20, 000 to the robbers at the York
Street by Park road junction as she alighted from
a bus at about 5.30am when three men
approached her and pointed a gun at her.
She said: “On my way back from work, I withdrew
N20, 000 to pay a debt at the office the next day
because my friend was travelling by 7am. When I
alighted from a bus that I took from Ogbor Hill to
Park road at about 5.30am., three young men
stopped and pointed a gun at me. Before I knew
what was happening, they collected my hand-bag
containing the money. I couldn’t shout because
there was nobody to help.”
Vanguard reports that all efforts to get the
reaction of the spokesman of the Abia Police
Command, Ezekiel Onyeke, failed.