Vigilante group arrest gunmen terrorising Anambra residents – Official

Vigilante group in Anambra State have arrested eight persons suspected to be among the gunmen terrorising residents of Awka, the state capital.

The State Commissioner For Homeland Affairs, Chikodi Anarah, announced the arrest of the suspects to reporters in Awka on Tuesday, Punch newspaper reported.

Mr Anarah said the vigilante group also recovered some arms and ammunition from the suspects.

The commissioner said the arrest was in response to the recent killings and kidnappings in the area and the entire state in general.

He said information about the arrested suspects would not be made public because it “would affect investigations and (further) operations of security operatives.”

Police speak

Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, said the police have begun combing relaxation centres to track down other criminals in the state.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the police had earlier warned residents against harbouring cultists and other criminals in the state.

“The (police) command has reiterated its advice to proprietors of hotels, drinking bars and other relaxation centres to be mindful of the characters of those that patronise them as the government would not hesitate to close down any place that is discovered as a take-off point of operations by those criminals,” he said.

Worsening insecurity

Like other states in Nigeria, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons.

In recent times, there has been an upsurge of criminal attacks in Awka, the state capital.

Last Saturday, for instance, PREMIUM TIMES reported that some gunmen abducted at least three yet-to-be-identified people in two different attacks in the state.

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 evening of the same day along Agulu-Oraukwu Road in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.

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Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been linked to some of the deadly attacks in the region.

However, the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.

IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the south-east and some parts of south-south Nigeria.