Following our report by 9News Nigeria correspondent in Owerri, Imo State Nigeria, the Imo State Police Command has moved into action to unravel the actual cause of the Killings and abductions going on in Avu/ Ihiagwa/Nekede/Obinze Owerri West forest in Imo state Nigeria.
The Communities have accused FUTO and Prisons community for allegedly causing the uprising in the area on the basis of not brushing down the thick forest, resolving with the land owners and allocating the lands to possible owners for speedy development.
The Prison mgt have also been accused of same cause for allowing their premesis within Avu/Nekede axis to be used by the Fulani herders, spotted to be a den for these hoodlums who have domiciled in the area after several chase on them by local security operatives and have kept encroaching people’s farmlands without due permission and official acquisition.
Security agents are supposedly burst down the forest and raise down the FUTO perimeter fence to enable free flow and easy identification of activities going on in the area as gathered by our correspondent.
The Imo State Police Command has said that it will conduct Deoxyribonucleic Acid(DNA) on the four human dead bodies recovered from the owerri West Forest, suspected to be hideout of kidnappers in the state.
This followed the raid on the kidnappers’ den on Monday 29/01/2024 by the Imo state Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, who led the operation with over 150 men and officers of the command, alongside 60 members of Nigeria Hunters Association and Imo State Vigilante Services to raid the forest in between Avu, Nekede, Obinze and Ihiagwa communities in Owerri West local government area of the state.
Our correspondent reports that during the said raid, five suspected kidnappers namely; Muazu Awuta, 30 ‘m’ yrs, Abdullahi Abubakar, ‘m’ 32 years, Ozeru Sabo ‘m’ 25 years, Saddam Suleiman, ‘m’ 27years, Bashir Yahaya, ‘m’, 28 years all of Jau LGA of Jigawa State, were arrested while investigation continues.
In a release issued by the Command’s spokesman, ASP Henry Okoye, the police acted on credible intelligence, which also led to the recovery of several other items including telephones, wristwatches, shoes, slippers and wrappers during the operation.
The command disclosed that the medical confirmatory test will be conducted to ascertain the identity of the deceased, suspected to be kidnapped victims.
Okoye said, “The suspects are currently undergoing investigation and have provided useful information to the Police that will lead to the arrest of other syndicates at large.
“On combing the forest, two decomposing unidentified corpses suspected to be kidnapped victims and other items like telephones, wristwatches, shoes, and slippers were recovered.
“The command intends to carry out further DNA confirmatory test to ascertain the identity of the deceased. Five operational motorcycles of the suspected kidnappers were also recovered.
“Intense operation is still ongoing in the forest and other identified black spots with the aim of stamping out all forms of crime and criminality in the State.” he added.
The community affected by this security threat are Nekede, Ihiagwa, Avu, Obinze and it’s environs. These communities are all located in owerri West local government area of Imo state Nigeria.
Speaking with some Community leaders in the area, “Security operatives should be on regular patrol check within the mentioned Okohia forest. The forest can be accessible through the Popular Owerri Port- Harcourt road and also through the FUTO gate and various track link roads where the criminals operate”
The government on their part , should as a matter of importance, finalise terms with FUTO to open up the forest and burst down the kidnapers den. Any criminal of herders sighted in the area should be dissolved. This insecurity is getting out of hand, the people of the area have cried out.
-Princely Onyenwe reporting
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