The police in Anambra State detained six members of a renowned gang who have long terrorized the Eziowelle village in the state’s Idemili North Local Government Area and its surroundings.
Recovered from members of the gang were three pump action rifles, one barretta pistol, ammunition and other incriminating items, which they used for their deadly operations.
It was gathered that the criminals were rounded up after the state Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng, received reports about their criminal activities in the area.
Police sources said members of the notorious gang have, for long, been using an illegal vigilante group to kidnap, rob, intimidate and harass people in the community.
They were also alleged to have broken into homes of prominent individuals in the community, stole property, raped female members of their families and kidnapped others, who would later be forced to part with huge sums of money as ransom.
Sources said a prominent man in the area, who claimed to be a pastor also controls his gang that has been indulging in criminal acts in Eziowelle for long with the tacit support of some leaders of the community, who always claim to have contacts with security agencies in both Anambra State and Abuja that will protect them.
According to sources, they made the town so hot that many indigenes, both in Nigeria and abroad, ran away for fear of being kidnapped and forced to pay ransom.
More from the Police on the suspects
It was learned that some of their victims were abducted at midnight, taken to offices of some security agencies, where they were tortured, harassed and intimidated into parting with huge sums of money.
Sources said when report of their criminal activities was received by the Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng, he swiftly directed the Commander of Anti cult Unit in the state, Uche Noah to swing into action and round up all the criminals involved in the nefarious acts.
Their operations reportedly paid off after Uche Noah stormed the town in an operation described as ‘unprecedented in execution’ and rounded up the suspects. This, according to sources, was after they gave the police team stiff resistance and confronted them in an exchange of firepower that lasted for hours.
It was gathered that the police team succeeded in routing them and arrested six of their kingpins, while others escaped with serious bullet wounds.
Police spokesman in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, when contacted, said: “Yes, the operatives raided Eziowellle community and we have six suspects in custody.”
