…police revealed that the suspects are also being probed over possible links to the murder of the late President General of Ogidi.
ANAMBRA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The Anambra State Police Command has arrested three suspected armed robbers and cultists, recovering weapons, ammunition, and a stolen petrol tanker in separate operations across the state.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, carried out the arrest on March 21, 2026, at about 1:46 p.m.
He explained that the suspects were apprehended after officers, acting on credible intelligence, raided a suspected criminal hideout in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area.
Ikenga noted that the command has continued to record significant successes in its operations aimed at improving safety and security across the state, citing the latest arrests and recoveries as evidence.
According to him, three suspects, Francis Chukwuka Anene (46), Emmanuel Obi (29), and Okoye Chinonso (35), who is alleged to be a serving member of a security agency were arrested during the operation.
Items recovered from them include two locally made Beretta pistols, four rounds of live 9mm ammunition, and a suspected fake security agency identity card.
Preliminary investigations by the police suggest the suspects belong to a criminal syndicate involved in armed robbery, kidnapping, and terrorising residents of Ogidi and surrounding areas. They are also being probed over possible links to the murder of the late President General of Ogidi.
In a separate operation, police attached to the Ozubulu Division recovered a suspected stolen white trailer in the early hours of March 17, 2026, along the Onitsha/Owerri Expressway.
The vehicle, found abandoned without a registration number and with the key in the ignition, is believed to have been left by an unidentified individual.
Ikenga said efforts are ongoing to trace the owner of the tanker and determine the circumstances surrounding its abandonment, while investigations continue on both incidents.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has reassured residents of the command’s commitment to maintaining security and urged the public to continue providing timely and credible information.
Meanwhile, the command had earlier arrested two suspects in connection with a staged kidnapping involving a victim’s boyfriend, who allegedly helped extort ₦240,000 from the victim’s parents. The arrest followed breakthroughs in several cases investigated over the past two weeks.
