Anambra Police Arrest 54 Suspects, Recover 11 Bags Of Cannabis In Statewide Crackdown
BY GLORY UGOBA
The Anambra State Police Command has intensified its campaign against cultism, drug abuse, and related crimes, arresting 54 suspects and seizing 11 bags of cannabis sativa in separate raids across the state.
Police spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, told journalists on Monday that the suspects — 39 men and 15 women — were arrested during operations in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, and Ifitedunu, Dunukofia LGA.
Ikenga explained that the operations were part of renewed strategies to curb crime, especially among youths aged 18 to 26. He raised alarm over rising cases of cultism, fake kidnappings, and extortion, citing incidents where young couples faked abductions to defraud their parents of millions of naira.
He also condemned last month’s violent cult clash at a burial in Ezi-Ogidi, which left four people dead and 15 others injured, describing it as further proof of the urgent need to dismantle criminal gangs.
As part of the crackdown, operatives of the Special Anti-Cult Squad (SPACS) on September 12 arrested 25-year-old Chiderah Obochi along the Old Onitsha–Awka Road. A search of his belongings yielded dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
Obochi later led investigators to a house in Umudioka Village, where police recovered 11 bags of cannabis. The exhibits, according to Ikenga, will be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Two days later, on September 14, SPACS operatives stormed a suspected cult hideout in Ogidi, arresting 53 individuals — 38 males and 15 females. The suspects are currently being screened, with those found culpable set to face prosecution.
Reassuring the public, Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, pledged to sustain both kinetic and non-kinetic measures, including surveillance, patrols, intelligence gathering, and community engagement, to safeguard lives and property across the state.
“The Command remains fully committed to restoring order and ensuring a safe environment for all law-abiding citizens,” Ikenga said.
