Ben Ezechime, Enugu
A sting operation conducted by the Nigerian Army and joint security operatives in Ehamufu in the early hours of Sunday, March 12, 2023, has led to the arrest of 10 heavily armed thugs allegedly hired to militarise the March 18, 2023 elections in Enugu State.
According to information from security sources, the thugs, numbering 20, were mostly hired from outside Enugu State for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, and possibly killing of perceived political enemies during the elections.
The thugs were said to have been hired from Aguleri, in Anambra State, and were apprehended at the Governor’s Lodge, behind the Isi Uzo Local Government Secretariat, Ikem.
The source disclosed that they were found in possession of various weapons, including some AK47 rifles, pump action rifles and various charms.
The weapons found on the criminals, according to our source, were allegedly said to be part of those legitimately purchased by the Enugu State Government for use by members of the Enugu State Neighourhood Watch and the Forest Guards, but which the Government and it’s officials decided to illegally distribute to hired thugs to disrupt the elections.
Their mandate, sources said, were to cause havoc in Ehamufu and parts of Isi Uzo in the name of Fulani herdsmen, so that elections would be disrupted in the area.
Ikengaonline learnt that, the arrested thugs have been handed over to the Nigeria Police, Ikem and are currently in protective custody pending the completion of Police investigations.
According to our source, some powerful and highly placed individuals using state apparatus have been mounting pressures on the Police authorities to release the culprits as a way to cover the crime and also to ensure that the others that have also been hired for operations in all the 17 Local Government Areas of the state are not frightened into abandoning the planned election project.
It was reported that the Enugu State Commissioner of Police was said to have refused to pick several calls from certain powers in the state who were said to be directly mounting pressure for the release of the thugs.
