Security operatives have arrested ‘scores’ of suspects who allegedly killed police operatives and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group in Igga, a community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, announced that two police operatives and three members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group were killed in the community on Friday.
Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the victims were among a team of security agencies providing security for a team of visiting investors from Lagos State on a tour of a proposed agricultural investment site in the area.
Arrest of suspects
A combined security operatives comprising the Nigerian army, the police, State Security Service and Neighbourhood Watch Group arrested the suspects from different forests in the area, according to a statement from Governor Peter Mbah’s media office on Monday.
The statement said the arrest of the suspects came after Mr Mbah ordered a series of coordinated onslaughts against alleged criminals in the community.
The police spokesperson in the state, Mr Ndukwe, did not respond to enquiries from PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday seeking details of the arrest of the suspects in the Igga Community.
Meanwhile, this newspaper reported how personnel of the Nigerian army and police operatives in Enugu State, on Saturday night, allegedly raided the community, burning houses and shooting sporadically in the community.
The governor speaks
Mr Mbah, on Sunday, visited the Igga Community, according to the statement.
Speaking during his visit, the governor warned against resorting to self-help by some residents of the community.
He said anybody or group of persons inciting and encouraging self-help would be dealt with according to the extant laws of the land, insisting that his administration would not condone people taking the laws into their hands.
‘No more reprisals’
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that there have been disputes over ownership of an expanse of land between Igga Community and another neighbouring community, Adani, in the same Uzo-Uwani Council Area of the state.
The dispute has led to attacks and reprisals between the two communities in recent times.
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Speaking on the issue, Mr Mbah, who visited the two communities unannounced, asked them to stop engaging in reprisals.
The governor announced that he had offered scholarships and job opportunities to the children and wives of the two slain police officers and three personnel of the Neighbourhood Watch Group who were killed in the area.
He said the security of lives and property remained the top priority of his administration while vowing that the ongoing operations by the combined security operatives would continue until the area was completely rid of criminals.
“One thing I can assure you today is that we’ll apprehend all the criminals responsible for this attack. We’ll make sure they face the full wrath of the law as we’ll not spare anyone involved in the crime,” the governor assured the residents.
Mr Mbah, who also visited the Ada Rice Settlement where the attack occurred, further warned the communities against taking laws into their own hands.
The governor asked residents of the area to channel their grievances and challenges to the government for an amicable resolution.
“My office is always open for the people. If there is anything we need to do just to be sure that you’re all protected, we’ll do it because that is our primary duty as a government and that’s why we exist,” the governor said.
He urged the people to cooperate with the security operatives by providing useful information to them that would lead to the arrest of the hoodlums infiltrating their communities and farmlands.
Igga Community speaks
Speaking on behalf of the Igga Community, Nnadozie Simeon, expressed delight over the governor’s visit, saying their confidence has been restored with the level of security deployment in the area from the state government.
Mr Simeon, a community leader, promised that his people would continue to work with the security agencies by providing information for their operations in the community.
He said the jobs and scholarships offered by the governor would help the families of the slain officers to recover and cater for their needs.
On his part, another community leader, Festus Okonkwo, said the killing of the security operatives on Friday might be a result of Adani people visiting the farm settlement which is in dispute alongside security operatives without clearance from Igga Community.
