By Vincent Ujumadu

AWKA— The Divisional Police Officer for Ajali in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State (names withheld) had one of his ears chopped off and was stripped naked for attempting to arrest members of a notorious robbery gang.

The said DPO had led his team to the den of the nine-man gang that had been terrorising Nanka, also in Orumba North, for years.

Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Awkuzu Okechukwu, said that following a raid on Nanka community, Ifedilichukwu Nwankwo, Chidi Nwankwo and Udoye Kenechukwu were arrested after previous attempts by the police from Force CID, Abuja, and Zone 9 Headquarters, Umuahia, to arrest them failed.

Parading members of the gang at the headquarters of the State Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Awkuzu Okechukwu said: “A team led by the DPO was ambushed at Nanka by the gang, when they went to effect the arrest.

“The DPO was robbed of his handset and money. He was stripped naked and one of his ears chopped off. His official uniform was equally torn to shreds. The gang also burnt down a police Hilux SUV.”
The police image maker added that the DPO, who narrowly escaped death, is currently receiving treatment in a hospital.

According to the PPRO, several cases of armed robbery, kidnapping, rape and assassination, were traced to the gang He added that it was for that reason that the police detectives mobilised men to arrest the suspects at Nanka.

Okechukwu said that it was Nwankwo’s gang that also killed one Okechukwu Udezuka of Oraifite in Ekwusigo Local Government Area and one Ebuka at Tarzan area of Nkpor, near Onitsha, in February 2, 2014.

He added that in the course of investigation of the deaths, two suspects, Emmanuel Nwabudu and Chogozie Nweke, confessed that Ifedilichukwu Nwankwo and his gang killed the victims.

He said that every attempt by the police to arrest members of the gang since then had not been successful until the attempt by the DPO. He said with the arrest, Nanka community had been liberated.

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