Posted by By Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka on
The crisis in Anambra State, on Tuesday took a new dimension when a group of persons described as terrorists by.....
The crisis in Anambra State, on Tuesday took a new dimension when a group of persons described as terrorists by police attacked Ekwulobia town, shooting and harassing innocent citizens.
The group, which for the greater part of the morning held the town hostage, had a shooting bout with soldiers who were drafted to stoop them setting the whole town in confusion.
A soldier was said to have sustained serious injuries, just as the hoodlums were also wounded.
Also on Monday, a gang of armed robbers numbering between 12 and 15 struck at the Nnewi branch of a first generation bank, and had a massive operation with what the police called sophisticated weapons.
Disclosing these incidents to newsmen when he had a joint press briefing with the Director of State Security Services (SSS) Mr. Andrew Ioke, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Haruna John lamented the amount of arms and other dangerous weapons available in the state and in hoodlum's hands.
The security agents, who described the last Saturday's attack of Nnewi Central Police Station as "the most vicious of all the attacks in the state in the last three weeks," said that the attackers are "not ordinary criminals, these are people our to wreak havoc."
They, however, assured that the security outfits would stoop at nothing to flush out the hoodlums from the state.
The Police Chief disclosed that more soldiers have been drafted to join those already in the state to ensure that the hoodlums were shown the way out.
On why no NARTO member has been arrested despite all the fingers pointed at them, both Haruna and Ioke said they have no concrete evidence to arrest them, adding that security operatives would not hesitate to apprehend them should any evidence show them as being involved.
For the security operatives, their searchlight is heavily beamed on MASSOB because according to them, "MASSOB is a well organized group" and had been resisting them unlike NARTO which did not take them time to flush out of the motor parks.
Also, the Police Command on Tuesday paraded about 40 suspects including one Aloysious Orji, popularly called High Tension who the police said has a gang of terrorists in Onitsha, just as the son of the late Mrs. Uzo Obi-Okoli who killed h is mother was paraded.
The police boss, however, assured that the security operatives were prepared to flush out hoodlums from the state and ensure security of lives and property.
He said: "The security apparatus in Anambra State are united and ready to flush them out. They are well organized military group, we also appeal to the people to volunteer information to us and we will act on them in confidence."