The Abia State Police Command has dismissed six police officers, after a jail break at the Anti-kidnapping section of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Umuahia.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Adeleye Oyebade disclosed this on Friday.

The cell break which occurred on September 2, led to the escape of some suspects.

He said the suspects made away with two AK-47 rifles kept outside the Armoury for quick response to emergencies.

Oyebade added that three of them have been re-arrested.

He said the escape was as a result of the negligence/absence from duty of some of the policemen scheduled for duty.

He gave the names of the rearrested suspects as Emeka Ukaegbu, Kingsley Anyim, and Chijioke Chukwu.

He added that one of the missing rifles had been recovered, while Ukaegbu had confessed to where he kept the remaining AK-47 rifle.

He said, “All the officers involved in the act of negligence/absence from duty have all been taken through the force approved disciplinary action process and dismissed from the force and will be prosecuted soon.

“I’m pained because these same officers have been responsible for up 95 percent of our success story in this command, but we cannot compromise any act that will bring damage to the image of the force.

“I believe in policing with the fear of God and all I have said in this case is nothing but the truth because I want to make heaven.

Confessing to the crime Ukaegbu said, “The officer on duty that night gave me the key to lock the VIP cell. So, I collected the spare key and gave it to one girl outside the cell to open the door for us.

“When she opened the door, one Kenneth, now at large, went and collected the guns. He gave me one, but I dropped it because I could not carry it.”

Azeez