The Enugu Command of the Nigeria Police Force, on Wednesday, said it has arrested 26 suspects for various offences ranging from conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition and cultism.
A statement by the command’s spokesman, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, said that the suspects were arrested between May 28 and May 29, 2022 during a routine stop and search operation within the state capital.
Ndukwe said that following their arrests, one English-made Berretta pistol with one (1) live round of .9mm calibre ammunition, four locally-made pistols with three live cartridges and other incriminating exhibits were recovered.
Giving a breakdown of their arrests, Ndukwe stated that “On 29/05/2022 at about 11pm, a combined team of police operatives drawn from Operation Restore Peace (ORP) and the Enugu Metro Area Command, while on a routine stop/search duty along Abakaliki Road, Enugu; intercepted a commercial bus and arrested one Obinna Owoh aged 22, of Ntezi in the Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi State, while two of his cohorts escaped.
“Similarly, on 28/05/2022 at about 5.30pm, police operatives serving in the Nsukka Sector of the command’s crack squad arrested one Benedict Nwodo aged 29, of Ugwuechara in Nsukka, following their prompt response to a distress call; the operatives said he was sighted with a gun along the CSO Site in Nsukka and the gun was recovered from him.”
The PPRO explained that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects are made up of 1 newly initiated and 10 old members of Apache Tigers otherwise known as “Two-Two” or Black Beret (“BB”) Confraternity.
He gave their names as “Eze Lucky Chinemerem aged 27, Igwe Chidimma Jonathan aged 22, Ugwu Chiemerie aged 22, Agubata Chidera aged 22, Abraham Onumah aged 28, Abdulraham Suleiman aged 21, Chizoba Atu aged 23, Sunday Victor aged 23, Eneh Chidera aged 28, Asadu Ejike Stephen aged 25, Eze Chibuzor Emmanuel aged 22, Ebuo Tochukwu Victor aged 27, Ogbodo Mohammed aged 32 and Gabriel Ebubechukwu aged 23.
“Others are Offia Emeka Emmanuel aged 26, Ajoku Leo Chiemeka aged 28, Onyekwelu Ugochukwu aged 32, Chibuoke Chukwuemeka aged 40, Chineke Chibueze aged 26, Ugwu Chibuike aged 35, Aneke Chidubem aged 30, Ozougwu Henry aged 29, Aneke Ugochukwu aged 31 and Nwali Ikechukwu aged 25. They all confessed to being members of the secret cult group.”
