The Imo State police command has arrested six cult members who were involved in the killing of Mbachu Samuel Chigozie, a youth corp member serving in Cross River State.
The command also arrested 16 pipeline and three Nitel installation vandals.
Speaking while parading the suspects at the command headquarters, Owerri Thursday, the state Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), DSP Joy Elemoko, disclosed that the cultists were arrested at Ihiagwa in Owerri West LGA of the state by the Command’s Ambush Squad following a tip-off.
The arrested killer cult members are Nnaemeka Iweanoge, a student of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology(ESUTH); Armstrong Mazi of Benue State University; Nwadike Uzoma of Imo State University(IMSU), owerri; Obinna Dick, Uzoma Ike and Ifeanyi John, all of who are of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede.
Also arrested include three cultists who attacked and seriously wounded a student of the Federal University of Technology Owerri(FUTO), Kingsley Mba of No. 8 Njiribeako Street, Owerri, and the suspects include Miracle Orji, Chukwueri Chijioke and Ikenna Ezeigbo.
The police boss expressed worry over the upsurge in cult activities in tertiary institutions in the state after it was brought to very minimal level.
She hinted that just last Monday at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, an unidentified student suspected to be cult member of a rival group was shot and wounded, adding that four suspects had since been arrested.
On the arrest of the pipeline vandals, Mrs Elemoko said the the 16 suspects were arrested by soldiers deployed to Agip Flow Station at Ikri, Oguta LGA and them over to the police for investigation and prosecution.
The suspects were led by Orji Best from Umueze Anam in Anambra West LGA of Anambra State and items recovered from them included vandalised pipes, vandalism equipments, a Mark Truck, L300 bus and a trailer load of 40ft 8inch diameter pipes valued about N5million.
The PPRO further disclosed that the command operatives last weekend at Enyis/Trinity Junction Road Oguta, arrested three out of six suspects who vandalised underground Nitel Optic Cables.
Items recovered from them included a Mercedes Benz truck loaded with optic cables worth about N10million and a Toyota Corola car loaded with vandalism equipments.
