Anambra Police Arrest 108 Cultists, 18-year-old Gunrunner, Others

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The Anambra State Police Command has paraded over 150 suspected criminals, including 108 cultists, a 15-year old gunrunner and a four-man car snatching syndicate among others

The arrests were made within last week, when the state was busy hosting the Nigeria Police Games, which saw over 3,000 police athletes participating in the game and 15,000 visitors.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Haruna Mohammed, who paraded the suspects before journalists said that the arrests had shown that even though police personnel were recreating, the agency was still alive to its duties.

Part of those paraded included; Sunday Thankgod an 18 year old boy suspected to be a gunrunner. Haruna said: "On the 5/3/2020 at about 6:30pm, Police Surveillance Team attached to B Division Awka in conjuction with UNIZIK Security arrested one Sunday Thankgod 'm' aged 18 years of Opobo-Nkoro in Rivers State.

"Suspect was arrested with a bag containing two locally made single barrels short guns, five cartridges and dry leaves suspected to be cannabis Sativa.

"Suspect is assisting the Police with useful information that would aid investigation after which he and his accomplices will be brought to justice."

He said 108 suspected cultists were arrested in diverse parts of the state, during raids by security agents, and that most of them have confessed to being members of several cult groups, while diverse exhibits were recovered from them.

Also, Haruna said a team attached to bridge head division while on patrol at Niger street by service lane, bridge head Onitsha also arrested a middle aged man with a bag in his possession containing two thousand (2000) pieces of live cartridges.

"The suspect is assisting the Police with useful information about the motive for bringing such cartridges and how he got them after which he would be charged to court for prosecution."

The car snatching syndicate arrested include Ikechukwu Madukanze of Umunze aged 23years and Okwudiri Ogubodo aged 26years from Enugu State respectively.