Four firefighters from the Akwa Ibom State Fire Service have been arrested by the state police for their involvement in the theft of four fire trucks.
The arrests were confirmed by the state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare, during a briefing at the command’s headquarters in Ikot Akpan-Abia, Uyo, on Monday, January 13, 2025.
Azare said the suspects were arrested following credible information from a good Samaritan that the trucks were stolen and taken to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He added that the operatives swung into action and further investigation revealed that the trucks were leased out to some multinational companies at the rate of N140,000 per truck per day for an initial period of three years.
“Based on credible information from a Good Samaritan four of the state fire service trucks were stolen and taken to Port Harcourt, River State by some officials of the service,” the CP states.
“The Command moved to recover the said trucks and further investigation revealed that the fire trucks were leased out to some multinational companies at the rate of N140,000 per truck per day for an initial period of 3 years. The link company share was N80,000 while the fire service officials share stood at N60,000 per truck per day, the deal was done in 2021 and was expected to terminate by 2024.
“However, about two months before the expiration of the deal the command acted and recovered the vehicles. The four suspects arrested in the case will be charged in court soon while the trucks will be released to the Government to continue to serve the good people of the state while we continue to look for others at large.”