Killing of vigilante in Imo, Anyim’s defection, other top stories from South-east

Here are the highlights of the top stories that made headlines in the region within the past week:

Reported attempt to harvest organs of two women in Enugu

On Sunday, 8 July, the police in Enugu State reacted to the reported attempt by some unidentified men to harvest the organs of two women in a hotel (name withheld) in the state.

A video clip surfaced online recently showing two women who had their hands tied in a hotel room in the state. The women claimed the suspects were armed traffickers who tied them up in the hotel room to harvest their organs.

The women also claimed the suspects stole their valuables.

But the police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement that a preliminary investigation showed that the suspects forcefully and fraudulently demanded money from the victims and that it was not a case of attempted murder or harvest of organs.

The spokesperson said the investigation also showed that the victims were commercial sex workers who had sex with the suspects earlier in the day in another hotel in the state.

Killing of vigilante operatives in Imo

It was a sad day last on 8 July when gunmen killed three vigilante operatives in Umuaka, a community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.

The vigilante operatives were conducting a patrol in a bus in the community when the gunmen ambushed them at a market.

Apart from the operatives, a passerby was hit by a stray bullet during the attack.

The police in the state, which confirmed the killing, said they had deployed the police tactical squad in the state to track down the killers.

How dismissed police operatives hijacked petrol truck, abducted driver — Official

The Nigerian police announced on 8 July that they had arrested three dismissed officers in Enugu State for allegedly hijacking a truck carrying 40,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol.

The Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed this in a statement, said the dismissed officers allegedly hijacked the truck on 29 May along the Ohodo-Opi Road in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Mr Adejobi, an assistant commissioner of police, said the suspects allegedly stole the petrol truck and abducted the driver and the truck assistant.

The Force spokesperson said the suspects would be prosecuted.

Speeding truck driver kills six persons in Anambra

Tragedy struck Anambra State last Tuesday when a speeding truck killed six persons in a multiple accident at Eke Awgbu along Agulu-Awgbu Road in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.

The state’s Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Adeoye Irelewuyi, confirmed the incident and said the accident involved a truck, a tricycle and two motorcycles.

Mr Irelewuyi said five other passengers were injured in the crash.

The latest crash occurred barely a month after two female passengers were killed in an accident at Obenetiti Awkuzu along the Onitsha-Nteje-Awka Expressway in the state.

Apart from the two deceased victims, five other passengers were injured in the crash, which occurred on 11 June.

The 11 June accident occurred nine days after at least three persons were killed in another road accident at Oba-Obosi Junction along Onitsha-Owerri Expressway in the Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.

About seven passengers were injured in the road crash involving six vehicles.

Armed police operatives allegedly raid shop, rob residents of phones

There was outrage on Thursday when police operatives allegedly raided a shop in Anambra State and robbed residents of their mobile phones.

The incident happened at Umueri, Otuocha, a community in Anambra East Local Government Area of the state.

Shortly after, the police authorities in the state said they had identified six operatives involved in the alleged act.

Tochukwu Ikenga, police spokesperson in Anambra State, said a video posted on social media of residents protesting against the alleged action of the operatives prompted the police to quickly identify them.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, called on the supposed victims of the incident to come forward and help the police with information.

When contacted on Friday, the police spokesperson told PREMIUM TIMES that the video circulating on social media did not fully explain what happened.

He claimed that the location where the incident happened was classified by the police as a black spot and that the people ran away on sighting a police vehicle approaching. He said the police recovered hard drugs and took away the phones belonging to those who ran away.

“All the phones are with me here (in my office). Some power banks are here too,” Mr Ikenga said.

“We are not disputing that the police went into the shop and took away the phones. In our statement, we said we had identified the police officer and the team and called on victims to come forward for necessary action. Until now, no single person has come forward,” he added.

Arrest of 200 suspected criminals in Anambra

Last Friday, the police in Anambra State announced the arrest of 200 suspected criminals in the state.

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Nnaghe Itam, during his maiden media briefing in Awka, said the suspects were arrested in the last two months in the state.

Mr Itam said that police operatives recovered about 1,644 pieces of ammunition in the state within the period.

Among those arrested were suspected kidnappers, cultists, car snatchers and petty thieves.

Ex-Senate President Anyim joins APC

Last Saturday, a former Senate President, Pius Anyim, officially defected to the ruling APC from the PDP.

Mr Anyim, a former presidential aspirant of the PDP, was received into the APC by the National Chairperson of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje.

A former governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Ebonyi, Edwin Nkwegu, and a former PDP senator, Joseph Ogba, were among the politicians who defected to the APC with Mr Anyim.

Mr Anyim had supported the APC against his party, the PDP, during the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi

Gunmen abduct three in Anambra

On Saturday, some gunmen attacked and abducted at least three yet-to-be-identified people in Anambra State.

Video clips circulating on social media showed that the first attack occurred at about 2 p.m. along Ifite-Amansea-Awka Road in Awka North Local Government Area of the state, while the second attack took place in the evening of the same day along Agulu-Oraukwu Road in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.

It was unclear if the same gunmen were behind the two separate locations.

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Although the police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the attack along Ifite-Amansea-Awka Roa, he was silent on the kidnap attack along Agulu-Oraukwu Road in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.

The latest attacks highlight the growing insecurity in the South-east.