Enugu Phone Snatcher Jailed Eight Years; Another Remanded for Shoplifting

A phone snatcher in Enugu has been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, with the terms to run concurrently, while another suspect has been remanded at the Enugu Correctional Centre over alleged theft of alcoholic beverages from a supermarket.

The Enugu State Police Command said the 34-year-old phone snatcher, identified as Ejike Nnam, was convicted by the Enugu North Magistrate Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy and robbery.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, Nnam allegedly snatched an iPhone XR valued at ₦240,000 from a female victim along Bisalla Road, Enugu, at about 8 p.m. on October 8, 2026, alongside an accomplice who is still at large.

He was arrested and arraigned the following day, after which the court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and five years for robbery, to run concurrently.

In a separate case, police arrested a 29-year-old man, Richard Chukwuma, at about 6:50 p.m. on October 7 at a supermarket in Enugu over the alleged theft of a bottle of Jameson Green Whisky valued at ₦30,150.

The police said Chukwuma reportedly confessed during interrogation to having previously stolen 15 bottles of the same whisky from the supermarket.

He was arraigned on October 9 and subsequently remanded at the Enugu Correctional Centre.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the Chief Magistrate for the prompt dispensation of justice in Nnam’s case.

Giwa also praised the New Haven Police Division and the prosecution team, calling for the speedy conclusion of police cases pending before courts across the state.

He said timely adjudication of cases would strengthen public confidence in the justice system and support crime prevention.

The police commissioner urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to the police, reaffirming the command’s commitment to thorough investigations and prosecution in accordance with the law.