… 3 In Police Custody Over Possession Of Firearms
By Patrick Ochei
Issele-Uku, the headquarters of Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State; a peaceful and hospitable agrarian community is currently facing some security challenges occasioned by the infiltration of criminal elements, mostly strangers into the community.
This alarming posture of insecurity as a result of the influx of persons coming into the town in search of white collar jobs but with sinister intention of going into crime, however, dawned on the community to embark on a security strategy that would curb the menace.
Several security meetings were held with the Police and other security agencies, including the vigilance groups, and they came up with the modus operandi to keep night watches and to be at alert in broad day light.
The very recent achievement from this security initiative which of course the youths were involved in, was the tracking and subsequent arrest of three armed robbers posing as motor cyclists (okada riders).
In many cases, motor bikes were snatched at gun points at nights, homes broken into and robbed, even recently an innocent okada rider was shot at the express and his motor bike snatched.
In this instance, some youths were robbed and they were dispossessed of their phones, which triggered more concerted effort to unravel this new wave of crime.
One of the phones was tracked to a supposed okada rider at the Afor market area, and on sensing he must have been trailed, the bike rider pulled out a weapon but with the quick intervention of the Police, he was caught.
This imminent arrest led to information about the criminal gang and their hideout, which was subsequently raided where two other accomplices were caught with a recovery of one AK 47 with a Magazine stuck in it.
Speaking with the DPO in charge of Issele-Uku Divisional Police headquarters, Mr. Onyeke Ezekiel, he said the surge in insecurity within and around Issele-Uku metropolis was becoming alarming.
He therefore, confirmed the arrest of the three suspects while promising that they would be transferred to the State Command for further investigation and prosecution on Monday.
According to Onyeke, “This new twist of insecurity in Issele-Uku is unfortunate after all the efforts we have put in place to sustain the existing peace and security in the town.
“When I resumed here, I met a peaceful community and a hospitable people. Issele-Uku people are good natured, I don’t see the reason why any stranger would come here to begin to operate criminally.
“I have vowed to leave a legacy of peace, harmony and well secured community better than the way I met it. God willing, we will overrun these criminal elements and restore peace and order in this well respected kingdom. This particular arrest will serve as warning to other syndicates that this zone will not be conducive for them”, the Police Chief posited.
Further giving clarification on the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer of Delta State Command, DSP Edafe Bright confirmed the existence of a criminal syndicate within Issele-Uku and environs, adding that they were bursted as a result of the swift and well coordinated effort of the Police.
He stated that “on 4/5/2023, at about 1900hrs, the DPO Issele-Uku Division, CSP Onyeke Ezekiel mobilized and led a team of policemen on an intelligence led investigation about a syndicate that has been terrorizing issele-Uku and other areas in Aniocha-North LGA, and stormed their hideout where three suspects namely; Samuel Nimven ‘m’, Ponfa Dandi ‘m’ and John Tanko ‘m’ all of Plateau State but resident in Aniocha-North LGA, Delta State were arrested.
“Upon searching of the suspects, one (1) locally fabricated AK-47 rifle with three (3) live ammunition were recovered from them. Investigation is ongoing”, he concluded.
In his comment in the whole of the saga, the President General of Issele-Uku Development Union (IDU), Mr. Ugeh Offordile commended the Monarch of Issele-Uku Kingdom, HRM Agbogidi Obi Nduka for his security alertness initiative and partnership with the various security organs in the town, especially the Police to restore order and security in the community, which he said had brought about the successful arrest of some of the criminal gang members.
The PG also appreciated the DPO Onyeke for his professionalism and proactiveness in tackling security issues urgently.
His words, “By this accomplishment, criminal elements that have found their ways into Issele-Uku should know that it is no longer business as usual.
“I want to use this medium to commend the youths of the community for their renewed vigour in joining the security agencies to provide security to the community. Their efforts in all of this cannot be underestimated; they have proven that with them, no stranger can come here to begin to perpetrate evil agenda.
“From now henceforth, all hands must be on deck in ensuring adequate security in Issele-Uku and environs”, the PG insisted.
Meanwhile, security observers within Issele-Uku have said that there is need for landlords and landladies to know their tenants by State of Origin and by occupation, as well as their movements.
They proffered the need for an enforcement of the ban on okada transportation from 9pm, while equally calling on relevant security agencies and community authority to ban selling of food beyond 10pm.
In a nutshell, while calling on security agencies to regularly hold security townhall meetings to intimate the community of their operational modus, they said the various communities making up Aniocha North should have a joint collaborative security initiative for the purposes of synergy in preventing crime and criminality within the council area.
