The Area Command and Nsukka Urban Police Division have apprehended thugs disguised as masquerades going around to rob residents in the Nsukka area of Enugu State.
The arrested suspects
The university town of Nsukka has recorded several occurrences of masquerades forcefully extorting money from unsuspecting victims. Some of the victims ended up being robbed, tortured and abused by these faceless elements. This has led to several complaints and petitions being forwarded by the general public to the police force.
Of recent, the police swung into action and the Vanguard reports two masquerades in police custody were arrested along Nru community, after engaging the police team in physical combat.
The odd part of the arrest was that onlookers were in support of the masquerades as they put up a fight as the policemen attempted to arrest them. The onlookers reportedly stoned the police in the course of the operation as well as rained abuses on them. The police later overpowered them and whisked them away.
It should be noted that the two masquerades were arrested by a combined team of men of the Area Command and the Nsukka Urban Police Division along Ugwu-Nkwo, Orba road, Nru junction, in Enugu.
Speaking to Vanguard Metro, one of the arrested men, simply identified as Omeje Ugochukwu (22) who hails from Amaozalla community in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, informed that he was arrested in connection with some masquerades that operated in the morning hours and inflicted a head injury on their victim in an attempt to collect money from him.
He pointed out that the masquerades were celebrating the annual festival of Ihe/Owere autonomous commu-nity by entertaining inhabitants, visitors to the community and the University town at large but not to maim people. He noted that he used the masquerade to beg for money to support himself as an apprentice welder but not to apply force to compel people to give him money. He blamed some masquerades who operated earlier in the morning, describing them as being more volatile and wicked, and had forcefully extorted money from people.
He maintained that they did not know that the men chasing after the masquerades were police men as they were in plain clothes. He said that he had no dangerous weapon on him except a small cane and palm fruit when he was arrested with the other masquerade, pointing out that what he collected before his arrest and detention was only N20.00. The second masque-rade who identified himself as Anayo Ezema (23) and hails from Isi-Uja, Ihe/Owere community, said he is a vulcaniser.
Hold VM that while operating with other masquerades in the evening, they met a certain man and solicited money from him. The man was directed to drop the money on the ground as masquerades do not collect money directly from people. It was at this point that the policemen swooped on them and arrested two of them.
He explained that the police accused them of beating and breaking someone’s head in the morning hours while in masquerade regalia. He said: “We did not engage the police in any physical combat. I am surprised that my sister was also arrested in connection with the matter. It is unheard of in Igbo land for a woman of that stature to be associated with masquerades.
It could be recalled that two weeks ago, two masquerades at Obukpa community along Oboli-Afor road robbed one Chinoso Ezewaji, a trader, of N57,000.00 and his handset. The two masquerades were identified as Kenechukwu Eze and Chima Mama.
The Area Commander, Nigeria Police Command Nsukka, ACP Musa Haladu, while confirming the arrest of the two masquerades, advised communities in the Command not to allow masquerades disturb people from going about their normal businesses, adding that every community in the country has one culture and the other which shall not be used to disturb the existing peace in a community. He warned that Nsukka is an urban town that has the mixture of different people and culture.