The Enugu state police command on Saturday
arrested two masquerades for alleged armed
robbery.
A police bulletin sent by the command’s
spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu indicated that it was a
new ploy of armed robbery operations.
The new dimension occurred at Ovoko in Igboeze
South local council of the Nsukka area command.
According to Amaraizu, the two masquerades
“allegedly robbed a member of the public some
amount of money to the tune of about seventy
thousand naira as well as some other valuables
amongst other things.”
He said the police have commenced a full scale
investigations into the alleged incident of robbing by
masquerading.
It was gathered that the two men behind the
masquerades were already helping operatives in
their investigations.
The police,however, advised masquerade operators
to always be law abiding and respect the tenets of
culture and remain law abiding in the operations of
masquerade as well as its activities in the state...source... The Nation. In a related development, The Police
in Nsukka on the same evening arrested two men who wore
masquerade costume in Ovoko community in Nsukka
LGA for allegedly beating up a passenger on
commercial motorcycle and robbing him of N57,000.
The incident happened on the Nsukka /Oballo-Afor
highway.
A police source said policemen moved to the scene
when the victim, Mr Chinonso Ezewaji, reported the
matter to Nsukka Police Area command and the two
men were arrested.
``The escorts of the masquerade however ran away.
``There were eight masquerade; they blocked the
Nsukka /Obollo-Afor road and harassed people.
``The two masquerade arrested however denied
collecting the N57, 000 from Ezewaji, but claimed they
know the person who collected the money from the
victim.
``When we searched one of the arrested masquerade,
we saw Indian hemp in his pocket,” the police source
said.
When contacted, Mr Ebere Amarizu, Public Relations
Officer, Enugu State Police Command, confirmed the
incident saying investigation had commenced into the
matter.
He urged communities to regulate and monitor those
who wear masquerade costume, adding that some of
them use the opportunity to harass, intimidate and rob
innocent members of the public.
``The Police are not against the people practising their
tradition and culture, but community leaders must
know the character of people they allow to wear
costume of masquerade in the name of culture.
``A masquerade has no right to mount road block on
busy highways where motorists, motorcyclists and
other road users move on daily basis.
``The police have commenced investigation and will get
to the root of this matter as issues of masquerade
disturbing people have become a recurring decimal,’'
Amarizu said.
The victim, Ezewaji, a trader, who deals on clothing
materials, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) he
was on his way from Nsukka to Obollo-Afor to see his
mother, when the masquerade stopped the motorcycle
he was riding on.
``They beat me, searched me and collected N57, 000.
``When they left, I ran into the bush and when I
discovered they have gone some distance, I came out
and went to the police to report.
The two men wearing masquerade costume who were
arrested, identified themselves as Kenchukwu Eze, a
carpenter and Ejiofor Eze, a brick-layer.
They however denied the allegation that they stole
money from Ezewaji
They claimed that their colleague, Chima Mamah stole
the money.
Eze, however, admitted that the police saw Indian
hemp in his pocket, saying it was the leftover of what
they smoked before coming out.
``If the police will release me, I will not wear
masquerade costume, nor smoke Indian hemp again,''
he pleaded......NAN

Lalala

Masquerade been forcefully extorting money from the public since 2000 AD.