By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Anambra Police Command has arrested 8 suspected Cultists in Okija, Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

A statement on Wednesday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, said the arrest was made in the late if hours of Tuesday in a raid of criminal hideouts in Okija by a joint team of the police and military.

Suspects arrested in the raid include Ugbe Lucky, 27, Ekene Ebubeze, 38-year-old, and 25-year old Somto Chukwu.

Others are 22-year-old Ifeanyi Eze, Chika Nnekezie, 31, Chidi Amadike, 26, Maduabaka Obidiazor, 30, and Chinemelum Okeke, 19.

According to the police spokesman, items recovered from the suspects include one long locally made dane gun, 3 locally double barrel pistols, one live cartridge, two knives,one jungle army camp beret, one red beret, two Police belt, one Shisha smoking pot and substance suspected to be cannabis sativa.

The statement partly reads: “In line with the avowed commitment of Anambra State Police Command to rid criminal elements from the state, the Command’s Operatives in conjunction with the Military and Other Security agencies in the state, in the late hours of 23rd March, 2021, raided a couple of criminal hideouts in Okija, Ihiala LGA and arrested eight (8) suspects, namely: Ugbe Lucky ‘M’ 27yrs, Ekene Ebubeze ‘M’ 38yrs, Somto Chukwu ‘M’ 25yrs,Ifeanyi Eze ‘M’ 22yrs, Chika Nnekezie ‘M’ 31yrs, Chidi Amadike ‘M’ 26yrs, MMaduabaka Obidiazor ‘M’ 30yrs, Chinemelum Okeke ‘M’ 19yrs.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP MB Kuryas, while commending the joint patrol team led by the Area Commander Ihiala for a gallant performance, equally reassures Ndi Anambra that the Command would be relentless in taking the battle to the doorstep of criminal elements hell-bent on fomenting trouble in the state and bringing them to book.”