By Oge Onyeanusi, Onitsha
In her continued effort to rid Anambra state of undesirable elements, the state police command, was said to have last week burst robbers’ den at Osumoghu, Ihiala Local Government Area, and arrested about 310 criminal suspects.
The operation which was a combination of the Police, Military and other Security Operatives, was led by the new Ihiala Police Area Commander, Mr. Christopher Bassey, (ACP).
This paper gathered that the operation was necessitated by complaints and petitions that have flooded the police command on the criminal activities of undesirable elements that have been using a borrow pit in the community for all manners of criminal activities for years now without any challenge from security operatives until the arrival of the new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Monday Bala Kuryas and Mr. Bassey.
A Recall that it was in the time of Bassey as the Commander of the Special Anti Cultism Squad, SPACS, of the state police command that cultists fled the state sequel to his relentless fight against them.
An indigene of Osumoghu community who did not want his name in print told this reporter that, “the borrow pit is a no-go- area for the police”
“The criminals there will openly boast that police are barred from coming here and true to their boast they don’t come becaust they are many of the criminals and always armed”.
“I am still thinking of what gave the Police Area commander the gut to raid the flash point with others because they don’t fear the police”
“Some of the robberies within Ihiala local Government Area and environs are hatched at that borrow pit where everybody is a suspect”
“The recent killing of a mobile policeman along Osumoghu/Ukpor road, near the pit while returning with his colleagues to their Awka, state capital base, when they rammed into a robbery road block, was perpetrated by the criminals from the borrow pit”
During screening of the suspects 160 of them were allegedly released and the others, said to have also been involved in cultism, were sent to the Anti Cultism section at Enugwu-Ukwu for discreet investigation.
Among the items reportedly recovered from them included, life tortoise, deity constructed with security post and sizable quantity of indian hemp.
Others were, one pump action gun, one locally made den gun, four matchetes, seven live cartridges, charms of different categories and cult regalia.
Add Comment