The stolen vehicle, a black Toyota Corolla, was reportedly taken from outside a court premises in the state capital on Tuesday before the security device intended for it could be delivered.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Abia State Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka, said the matter had been reported and investigations were ongoing to recover the vehicle and apprehend those responsible.
“The above was reported, and investigation is ongoing,” she said.
She appealed to members of the public to assist security agencies with useful information that could lead to the recovery of the vehicle and the arrest of those responsible for the theft.
The owner of the vehicle, Chief Magistrate Mrs Ngozi Pearl Lekwa of Court 2, Umuahia, disclosed that she had ordered steering locks for two of her vehicles as part of efforts to improve security.
According to her, while one of the steering locks had already been delivered, the second one meant for the stolen Toyota Corolla had not arrived before the incident occurred.
“I had ordered steering locks for my two vehicles just the previous day. One was delivered, but the one meant for this particular vehicle had not arrived before it was stolen,” she said.
Lekwa recounted that she parked the vehicle outside the court premises along Finbarrs Road at about 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday before proceeding to her office to carry out official duties.
She said she intended to leave the office later in the day to attend to some personal engagements, but was shocked to discover shortly after noon that the vehicle had disappeared from where it had been parked.
“I parked the car outside the court premises around 9 a.m. and went into my office. When I came out shortly after noon, the vehicle was no longer where I left it,” she said.
The magistrate maintained that she did not authorise anyone to use the vehicle and still had the car key in her possession when she realised it was missing.
“I did not send anybody on an errand with the vehicle, and the key was still with me when I discovered it was gone,” she added.
Further details emerged when a friend informed her that she had seen the vehicle being driven at high speed shortly after it left the vicinity of Market Square.
According to Mrs Lekwa, NAIJAONPOINT saw a man behind the wheel and initially assumed he had been sent on an errand by the vehicle’s owner.
“My friend later told me she saw the car being driven at high speed after it passed Market Square. She saw a man driving it but did not raise an alarm because she thought I had sent him on an errand,” she said.
NAIJAONPOINT reportedly became suspicious only after realising that the magistrate was not in the vehicle and that it was being driven unusually fast towards the Bende Road axis.
Mrs Lekwa subsequently reported the incident to the police and appealed to residents to remain vigilant and assist security agencies.
“I appeal to anyone who sees the vehicle or has useful information about its whereabouts to report to the nearest police station. Any information could help in recovering the vehicle and apprehending those responsible,” she said.
The stolen vehicle is a black Toyota Corolla, 2008 model, commonly known as a “bank car.”
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