60 Suspects Paraded In Ebonyi For Murder, Robbery, Arson

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Police Authorities in Ebonyi state, South- East Nigeria, have paraded 60 suspected bandits for their involvement in various crimes, including attacking of police Stations, burning of INEC Office, among others.

According to the command, “the suspected bandits were apprehended for conspiracy, armed robbery, murder and arson, among other crimes”, adding that they were responsible for attacks on police stations and the killing of its personnel in the state.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Aliyu Garba, disclosed this on Monday while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

He said recovered from them were, rifles, a live tortoise, charms, as well as arms and ammunition were recovered from the suspects.

Garba stated that the hoodlums were also responsible for the destruction of facilities belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state.

“Around 6.30pm on May 23, 2021, we acted on credible information that suspected criminals were meeting at Agubia Ikwo in the residence of one Ebube Ivom, 31, who is their suspected sector commander.

“The said meeting had in attendance a Cross River State-based native doctor (Ezemuo), who was invited to fortify members of the group with marks on different parts of their bodies, as antidotes to bullets in preparation for the attack on the Onueke Divisional Headquarters and the INEC office, both in the Ezza South Local Government Area of the state by 8.30pm on the same day.

“On the strength of the information, the command swiftly deployed a team of police operatives in collaboration with Neighbourhood Watch personnel of Ikwo; in the process, 39 male suspects, made up of indigenes of Ebonyi State and two non-indigenes from neighbouring Abia State, were arrested and large quantities of charms were recovered from them together with living creatures such as tortoise and hawk.

“Eight of the suspects made useful statements to the police, while one of them, Elom Daniel, 17, took police operatives to their hideout at Agbaja-Izzi community in the Abakaliki Local Government Area of the state, where the owner of the house escaped, leaving behind his wife and a child.

He added “Upon intensive search of the house/premises, the following items were recovered: one AK-47 rifle with 35 pieces of live ammunition; two AR rifles with eight pieces of live ammunition; eight magazines; two locally-fabricated Improvised Explosive Devices (tested and certified); five machetes; one police belt and some charms.