Imeohia Mmaku village in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu
State recently came under siege of suspected robbers cum kidnappers who invaded
the community to perpetrate their heinous crime. On the fateful day, a priest
allegedly led some notorious gang of robbers/kidnappers to carry out their
crime.
While carrying out the operation, the gang sealed off all
entrances and exits to the agrarian community. Clad in a white cassock, Rev.
Fr. James Ani, in company with about eight other people held the community by
the jugular and laid siege on their prey.
Also, it was reported that the gang combed parts of the
community to see if they could find a prime target on which they could feed.
But while the siege lasted, a team of anti- robbery patrol team usually on
routine checks on remote parts of the state was passing by and accosted the
gang. On seeing the police team, Fr. Ani reportedly commanded his ‘troops’ to
launch offensive. Wielding several dangerous weapons, the suspected robbers
reportedly engaged the police team in fierce duel which further sent habitants
of the community and travellers scampering for safety.
During the clash, Fr. Ani and his gang reportedly got hold
of one Inspector Cosmas Nzeribe and a couple of his colleagues, and almost
sniffed life out of them. However, the suspected robbers bowed to the superior
firepower of the law enforcement agents leading to their arrest. Before they
were arrested, the hoodlums damaged the two vehicles used by the law
enforcement agents.
The vehicles were a Toyota Corolla saloon car with
registration number ENUGU XY 770 ENU and another Toyota Toyota Corolla car with
registration number KPP 450 XA. In the end, Ani and three others; Ugwu Marcel,
Obasi Felix and Norbert Eke were arrested and taken to custody. About five
other members of the gang reportedly fled from the scene of the attack. A
manhunt has already been launched for the fleeing suspects. An eye witness, who
identified himself as Okey, told reporters the law enforcement agents would
have been killed but for Providence.
According to the truck driver, “I ply this road very often
and I can tell you that most travellers had had harrowing experiences to share
about this place. It is such a bad spot and when the robbers were arrested and
we saw a supposed man of God among them, not many of us were surprised because
we had experienced that before in this area.
Criminals would put on cloths meant for the clergymen to rob
people. Thank God, this one was caught.” A resident of the community, who
declined to give his name also lamented to reporters the agony of inhabitants
of the village and travellers on the hands of men of the underworld. “Robbers
attack the community almost on a daily basis. Most times, they target
travellers and on some occasions, citizens of the community had been
dispossessed of their valuables. It is great news that these set of robbers
were arrested by the police. Let us hope that this would bring the end to the
incessant cases of armed robbery and kidnapping in the area,” he said.
At the time of arrest, Ani reportedly informed security
operatives that he was not a robber but a priest. However, upon intense
interrogation, he confessed to his crime, saying that he was pushed into the
crime due to lull in his business.
Spokesman for the Enugu State Police Command, Ebere
Amaraizu, who confirmed the arrest of the four suspected robbers, maintained
that investigations are ongoing while a manhunt had been launched for the
fleeing suspects. “The Commissioner of Police has said it many times that there
is no hiding place for criminals again in Enugu.
This statement he is matching with actions which are evident
in the arrest of the four suspects. Imagine someone supposed to be a man of
God, being the ring leader in such a crime!” she said. Amaraizu also informed
that the four suspects would be charged to court upon completion of
investigations into their crimes.
NATIONAL MIRROR
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