WARRI – Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP. Alkali Baba Usman, has charged Nigerian youths particularly those in Delta State to shun cultism and embrace more meaningful engagements.
CP Baba Usman gave the charge at press briefing at the Warri Area Command when parading some suspected cultists and armed robbery suspects before newsmen.
He decried the rising cases of able bodied youths’ involvement in criminal activities as according to him, these able bodied youths should be engaged in more meaningful ventures.
“If you look at them, they are all young men, able bodied. Cult and criminality are closely related. Cultism or cult activity is not an association of like minds coming together for development but rather they come together to unleash mayhem and terrorise innocent citizens. So I also advised parents to keep close watch on their wards especially in this prime age. You think your child is in school going about his studies, but instead he is involved in one cult activity or the other”.
According to the police boss, the suspects numbering about 35 were arrested at various locations within Warri , Agbarho, and Oghara.
One of the cult groups he said were preparing for the celebration of their end of year party, when the surveillance patrol clamped down on them. The cult groups include, the Neo Black Movement (Black Axe, Vikings, Black Aye Confraternity.
He said the 15 police patrol vans recently given the Delta State Police Command by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Police have been distributed throughout the state and are on 24 hours surveillance on the Highways to ensure that crime rate is reduced.
Virtually all the suspects paraded denied being involved in any form of cult activities. One of the suspect who claimed be a musician said he was picked up while returning from a church service. He said he was taken to the station by the police because of the tattoo on his body.
One of the suspects who claimed he was arrested in a tricycle the boarded around 9.30pm along Jakpa Road and taken to the station where he was forced to put on a branded T-shurt of the black axe cult group. He denied ever being involved in cultism.
Some others said they were on their way to attend a bachelor’s eve when they were apprehended in a commercial bus .Driver of the commercial bus with registration number UBJ 449 XA said his bus was hired from Ring Road in Benin City, Edo State. He said he was only going about his lawful business as a commercial bus driver saying he does not know any of the suspects.
On the recent spate of bank customers being tailed from banks and robbed, CP Baba Usman said the state command has recorded significant breakthrough as one Abada Magdalene who was robbed after withdrawing #100,000 ( One Hundred Thousand Naira) from a new generation bank got all her belongings restored through the swift response of the police from Enerhen Division.
He said a surveillance patrol ran into the armed robbery operation and a gun duel that ensued led to the death of the three armed robbers.
Items recovered from the armed robbery scene include, one double barrel and one cut to size guns; a black golf 3 volkswagen car with registration number ABH 401 AA-Delta; Three (3) live and eight (8) expended cartridges as well as four handsets.
On the accident caused by a bullion van who was driving against traffic leading to pregnant woman looking her two legs in Udu Road , CP Baba Usman said