By Joe Chukindi, Awka
There was a mild drama on Tuesday at the Anambra State Police command headquatres as six of the 19 suspects paraded by the command raised alarm when they were described as cult members from the Vikings confraternity.
The six suspects who were paraded in red tee shirts were according to the Police Public Relations Officer of the command arrested while holding a meeting of the Vikings cult.
But the suspects which included five boys and a girl insisted that they were arrested on valentines day, while marking the day with friends with their red tee shirts, which was meant to depict love, but were rounded up by police officers at a joint.
The suspects who cried like babies begged to be released as they were innocent of the crime leveled against them by the police. They were however shut down by police officers who were around during the briefing.
When their plea was brought to the notice of the PPRO, he said that the suspects were only providing alibi for their release as all suspects never admit to knowing why they were arrested.
One of the suspects, a lady, Ngozi Nwachukwu (20) said she was not involved in the alleged cult related crime but was arrested while she was on Valentine outing with friends.
Nwachukwu who was sobber begged to be released as her young child had been with her mother since she was arrested. She also gave out the address of her mother to journalists, saying that she does not who she was in police net and may be looking for her.
Among others paraded include; six suspects who were arrested at Arroma during an initiation rite into the Vikings confraternity while another eight were apprehended at Odekpe Iyiowa, Onitsha when they were being initiated onto the junior Cadre of the same cult group.
He said the gang also raped three female members of between 15 and 16 years of age who were also arrested.
Journalists who covered the event however insisted that since the girls were minors, they should not be exposed to camera, but the PPRO insisted, saying that the girls had at one point or another been used by the cultists and as such must pay for their sins.
It took the insistence of the journalists, especially Mr Tony Okafor of the punch newspaper who said it was not ethical to expose the girls before the PPRO reluctantly accepted for the girls to back the camera.
Other suspects include; one Mr Chigozie Ugwu (22) who was arrested at Abagana for burglary/stealing of the sum of N500,000 and other items from one Chinedu Onuwa.
He another suspect, Obumnaeme Nwafor (30)was arrested in relation to robbery which occurred on Jan. 22 but was nabbed on Jan 28 and items recovered from him included a tricycle, two motorcycles, nine GSM phones and a locally made pistol revolver.
He said most of the cases had been charged to court or transferred to Special Anti Robbery Department in Awka for further investigation.
A rights lawyer who refused to disclose his name for reasons known to him said; “The police has been doing a good job in Anambra recently, and I think that is the reason for the crime free state of the state today.
“However, they must be mindful not to arrest innocent people just to create the impression that they are working. On valentine’s day, many people wore red, and the tendency is that while celebrating, they stay out late. And the police on seeing the celebrants at night all wearing black may have mistaken them for cultists. They should investigate and free them if they are not truly cultists.”
