The Police in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta, have arraigned sixty suspected pro-Biafra members and cultists for alleged unlawful assembly in the community.

The suspects were said to have allegedly assembled for a meeting in the community on Tuesday when the Police acted on a tip-off and arrested them in their hideout.

They were, however, arraigned yesterday at the Ogwashi-Uku Magistrate Court for four-count charges which bothered on illegal assembly, cultism, and others punishable under the new anti-cultism and terrorism law of Delta State 2016 recently signed into law by the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.

Upon the charges read before the accused, the presiding magistrate of the court, Chief Magistrate Saduna Aninie with the Charge Suit No: M/O/C/2017, said the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the case and directed the case file be transferred to the office of the State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice and remanded the accused persons to prison custody.

It was reliably gathered that the accused persons were raided in their hideout in a popular hotel (name withheld) in the community where they were allegedly holding in unlawful meeting with the combined of efforts of the military men and the police detectives in the community.

The Police Image Maker in the State, Mr. Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed that the raid was carried in the community (Ogwashi-Uku), Ibusa and some communities in Ndokwa axis.

•Excerpted from a Peoples Daily report.

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