By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has sustained its ongoing offensive against criminal activities across the state with the arrest of three suspects over alleged armed robbery, drug peddling and cult-related activities, alongside the recovery of a locally-made firearm, live ammunition, illicit drugs and other incriminating items.
The development was disclosed in a press statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who said the arrests were made by operatives of the Command’s Rapid Response Unit (otherwise known as the VCRU) during separate operations carried out on June 19.
According to the police spokesman, the first operation took place at about midday along the Igbariam-Achalla Road, where patrol operatives intercepted two young men identified as Williams Ndifon and David Missang, both aged 27, while they were riding on a Daylong motorcycle.
He explained that a search conducted on the suspects led to the recovery of a locally-made Beretta pistol loaded with one live round of ammunition, six GSM handsets, two power banks, a sledgehammer, a metal crack tool believed to be used for breaking into targets, quantities of substances suspected to be Cannabis Sativa, as well as the motorcycle they rode on.
SP Ikenga further revealed that the operatives also recovered a black polo shirt bearing the inscription “Nigeria Army Barracks Youths Foundation (NABYF),” which has become part of the exhibits as investigations continue to unravel the activities and possible network of the suspects.
According to the Police Spokesman, in another operation carried out later the same day, acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the VCRU arrested a 21-year-old suspect identified as Oluchukwu Onyekwe at Agukwu Nri in Anaocha Local Government Area.
The police spokesperson said the suspect was found with appreciable quantities of dried weeds suspected to be Cannabis Sativa, adding that preliminary investigations have also linked him to cult-related activities within the area.
He noted that the suspect remains in police custody and is assisting investigators as efforts continue to uncover other members of the alleged criminal network.
The Command reiterated that investigations into both cases were ongoing and assured that the suspects, if found culpable, would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
SP Ikenga, in the statement, further urged residents of Anambra State not to relent in supporting security agencies with credible and timely information, stressing that community partnership remains a vital tool in the fight against crime and in sustaining public safety across the state.
