By Ovat Abeng
The Anambra Police operatives serving at Abagana Divisional Police Headquarters has arrested four suspects including a 21-year old lady Chinenye Ekwenugo from Ifitedunu over the burning of a 74 (seventy-four) years old woman in a wheelchair at Abagana in Njikoka Local Government Area of the State.
The three other suspects include Uzochukwu Okeke ‘M’ aged 47, Fidel Anayo ‘M’ aged 60 and Ikenna Anene ‘M’ aged 54 years respectively, all from Abagana. The Operatives also recovered the burnt remains of the deceased, the wheelchair, and a casket.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the State Police Public Relations Officer, who disclosed this in a statement in Awka on Monday, said the arrest took place on 26/1/2024 at about 9 am.
According to him, during interrogation by the Police Operatives, the suspect, Chinenye confessed that her boyfriend Ifeanyi Igwe who is currently at large and three others set the victim ablaze and got a casket to bury her before the intervention of the security operatives.
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Meanwhile, the operatives have also initiated moves to arrest the main suspect Ifeanyi Igwe who is currently on the run. The body of the deceased has been deposited in the morgue for autopsy and further probe of the cause of the death.
The Commissioner of Police CP Nnaghe Obono Itam while reacting to the report of the incident sued for calm and ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Command for a comprehensive investigation. Further developments shall be communicated.
In another development, the operatives of the Anti Cult unit of the Anambra State Police Command stationed at Enugwu Ukwu acting on credible information yesterday 25th January 2025 by 1.30 pm arrested one Maduka Okoye aged 25 years of Abagana.
“The team also recovered three expended cartridges of a pump action gun at a shooting scene in Ezichike Community of Abagana.
The suspect Maduka Okoye, confessed to being a member of Baggars Confraternity and said that he was in a beer parlour drinking with his friend in the area when they came under attack by members of the rival cult group identified as Axe Men Confraternity.
Meanwhile, the Police responded swiftly and restored calm in the area. The suspect is currently assisting the Police Operatives in an ongoing operation for the possible arrest of the fleeing gang members and already identified members of the rival cult members, especially those actively involved in the shooting.
Also, the joint security team comprising of Police Operatives from Oko Divisional Headquarters and AVG Operatives, Amaokpala acting on intelligent-driven information on 25th January 2025 by 10.30 pm raided an identified criminal hideout at Umudike, Amaokpala in Orumba North Local Government Area. Items recovered during the crackdown include large quantity of substance suspected to be hard drugs, two mobile phones and a cash sum of seventy-three thousand, one hundred and fifty Naira (#73,150) suspected to be proceeds from the sales of the substance.
The fierce-looking criminals took to their heels on sighting the joint security team and ran into the nearby bushes.
Meanwhile, the Operatives have taken over the scene, destroyed the camp and are on the offensive against the criminals for possible arrest and to make sure they don’t regroup anywhere in the State.
Again, operatives of the Special Anti-Cult Squad Enugwu Ukwu, at a security checkpoint on Umudioka-Awkuzu road by Igbariam on 25th January 2025 by 5.38 pm arrested two out of the four occupants of a white Toyota Corolla vehicle with registration number YAB 26 CB. The team also recovered one barreta pistol, two live ammunition and the Toyota Corolla vehicle.
The two suspects are Raphael Peverga and Saakura Teryima both aged 22 years old and from Benue State. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to arrest the other two suspects that are currently on the run.
It was reported that the suspects alighted from the vehicle while still in motion when the Operatives ordered them to park the vehicle for a security search.
