The Anambra State Police Command on Friday announced the arrest of eight persons who have been suspected of being in the act of kidnapping, cultism, illegal possession of a firearm and armed robbery in that state.
The arrest was disclosed in a press statement made available by the police public relations officer of the state SP Tochukwu Ikenga, on Friday.
The PPRO disclosed that after the arrest, the police had recovered a long gun, one locally made Barreta, ammunition, and a suspected stolen vehicle from the suspects that have been taken into custody.
According to him, the operation was conducted by the police and led by the joint task force, which had leveraged the use of technology in the state. The PPRO noted that the suspects were arrested in different locations in the state,
The statement noted that the police had used technology to drive their investigation. It was further noted that the officer had arrested two suspects in their criminal hideout in Nnewi.
The PPRO noted that the police had decided to embark on the operation after a suspect was arrested on August 19, 2024, in Ihiala LGA but later released by the abductors in that state. He disclosed that the suspects, after being interrogated by the police, confessed to being active participants in various crimes in the state and provided several pieces of information to the police, which is guiding further investigations.
The police also disclosed that the operatives in Aguata Base of the command had stored the hideout of some criminals in in the early hours of 12/9/2024 and arrested arrested five suspects namely, Okorie Miracle, Joshua Ifeanyi Ekwa, Aneke Okorie, Mmesoma Faithful and Chukwuzekwu Mba, all males and from Umunze, between the ages of 20 – 26 years.
The police, according to the PPRO, recovered locally-made short guns and vandalised electricity cables, wires and tools they used to commit the crime. The PPRO also noted that the suspects have all confessed to the crime and have provided useful information, which has been helping the police in conducting their information.
According to the PPRO, in another operation, the operatives of the Special Anti-Cultism Squad, who were on routine patrol on 13/9/2024 by 9:30 a.m. along Nise/Agulu road, arrested one Chigozie Ejikeme ‘m’, a 25-year-old native of Abagana. Before his arrest, the suspect had driven his car in a manner that was suspected to be a move to avoid police checks.
The police, after searching for the suspect, found one locally made Beretta pistol with one live 9mm ammunition concealed on his waist were recovered by the police. The suspect, after interrogation by the police, confessed to being a member of the Black Axe Secret Cult. The police arrested the suspect with his vehicle.
The PPRO noted that after the investigations, the suspects will be charged in court, where different charges will be read on their heads.
