- Safiu Kehinde
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 17 suspects over alleged involvement in cultism in the state.
The suspects were apprehended by operatives attached to the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) in Awka, the state’s capital city.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), disclosed this in a statement to newsmen on Sunday.
According to Ikenga, the VCRU operatives arrested 17 male suspects allegedly linked to cult-related activities and other acts contrary to public morality, while acting on credible intelligence.
”They were arrested at an identified hideout in Awka in the early hours of today,” he said.
Ikenga said that items recovered from the suspects include some dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa, containers of petroleum jelly, condoms, among other exhibits.
He said that preliminary interrogations revealed their affiliation with the vikings confraternity, a k a “Bagger”.
The PPRO noted that investigation also extended to allegations of immoral activities reportedly carried out at the location.
He quoted the Commissioner of Police (CP) Ikioye Orutugu, as saying that cultism, drug abuse, and all forms of criminality would not be tolerated in the state.
Ikenga said that investigations were ongoing to ascertain their level of involvement in the crime.