Charms, rifles recovered as Ebonyi police arrest 60 suspects for ‘robbery, arson’

Aliyu Garba, Ebonyi commissioner of police, says the command has arrested 60 suspects in the state for their alleged involvement in robbery, arson and other offences.

Garba, on Monday, while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital, said officers recovered charms, AK-47 rifles, locally fabricated explosives and other ammunition.

The commissioner of police noted that one of the suspects, identified as Elom Danie, confessed to being one of those responsible for the attacks on police stations in the state.

“On the strength of the information, the command swiftly deployed a team of police operatives in collaboration with neighbourhood watch of Ikwo. In the process, 39 male suspects, made up of indigenes of Ebonyi state and two non-indigenes from neighbouring Abia state were arrested and large quantities of juju charms were recovered from them together with living creatures such as tortoise and hawk,” he said.

“Eight of these suspects made useful statements to the police, while one of them, Elom Daniel, male aged 17 years, took police operatives to their hideout at Agbaja-Izzi community in Abakaliki local government area of the state, where the owner of the house escaped, leaving behind his wife and a child.

“Upon intensive search of the house/premises, the following items were recovered: one AK-47 rifle with 35 live ammunition; two AR rifles with eight live ammunition; eight magazines; two locally fabricated improvised explosives (tested and certified); five machetes, one police belt and some juju charms.

“Elom Daniel narrated that he specialised in drawing the map of any planned area to be attacked by the group before execution. He further admitted that the meeting at their state sector commander’s residence was to attack Onueke divisional headquarters, INEC office and Ebube Agu security outfit on the date mentioned above.

“Daniel further stated that his group was responsible for the attack on the army checkpoint at Amasiri in Afikpo north local government area on 26th March, 2021, where two army officers were killed and their rifles were taken away.

“He also claimed that his group was responsible for the attack on central police station, Abakaliki, during the #EndSARS protests, where a police inspector and one other were killed and the inspector’s rifle carted away. One of the AK-47 rifles recovered, when cross-checked, was found to be the same police rifle that was stolen by the hoodlums from the late inspector at the central police station, Abakaliki, during the said #EndSARS protests.

“Daniel further narrated that his gang was also responsible for the attack at Onueke police station on 8th January, 2021, which claimed the lives of three policemen and the attack on Nigeria Police Force personnel attached to agricultural quarantine checkpoint, along donkey market, Ezzangbo in Ohaukwu LGA of the state on 23rd March, 2021, where two (2) assault rifles were carted away by the hoodlums.

“The two rifles are among the recovered rifles.”