ANAMBRA POLICE ARRESTS 17 YOUTHS FOR BURNING DOWN HOUSE AND KILLING OF VIGILANTE OPERATIVE AT OKPOKO

The Anambra State Police command has arrested seventeen youths for burning down of a house and
hacking to death of a vigilante operative who tried to stop them.

The incident which happened at Okpoko, Ogbaru L.G.A, Anambra State last weekend threw residents of the area in Panic.

According to information, the house which is located at No 77 Obodoukwu Road at a junction between Umueshi Street and Obodoukwu road, Okpoko is owned by an Octogenarian Chief Edward Okoro a native of Atan Abam in Arochukwu L.G.A Abia State.

The Bridge gathered that the heinous act was carried out by a group of unknown hoodlums who usually converge at the said junction to engage in vices like smoking of hard drugs, raping of young girls, snatching people’s property e.t.c who stormed the house, pour fuel on it and set it on fire razing it down at wee hours of the night.

Sources said the hoodlums decided to punish the landlord for having the temerity to always challenge them to leave the junction.

Corroborating this, close sources from nearby Street said the landlord and tenants of the house has been having a running battle with the hoodlums for them to feel threatened and decided to punish the landlord of the house by setting the house ablaze.

Eye witnesses also said that when the hoodlums set the building on fire that the landlord and tenants alerted the nearby vigilante group and the police but that the local vigilante arrived the scene first and challenged the hoodlums who ran away but during a hot chase from the vigilante, the vigilante felled into a ditch with his gun for the hoodlums to regroup, rushed back to the ditch and clubbed the vigilante to death and ran away.

Narrating his ordeal when Newsmen visited the house, the Landlord; Chief Edward Okoro lamented the colossal damages done to him and all tenants in the house noting that they lost everything they acquired in life. He bemoaned his fate and appealed to the state government, philanthropic organizations, and individuals to come to their aid.
Confirming this, the D.P.O of Okpoko police division- CSP Emeka Ugwu said the police is handling the matter and has made significant progress by arresting some of the suspects who are making useful statements even as he said that the case has been transferred to criminal investigation department at Awka.
Also, the Anambra state PPRO, DSP Uche Eze said the police is on top of the matter and will charge who ever that is involved to court.          



Written by Eche Obasi