80 YEAR OLD WOMAN LOST HER LIFE TO POLICE OPERATIVES IN ANAMBRA

An eighty year old woman has died after police operatives on arrest mission allegedly pushed her down in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.

According to eye witness accounts , operatives of Special Police Anti Cult Squad, SPACS who came to arrest a suspected cultist at about four o’clock in the morning allegedly pushed the grandmother, Mrs Mgbeke Ezeagha, while she was trying to explain that the boy was innocent.

When Radio Nigeria visited the country home, sympathizers gathered crying and consoling the children and other relatives.

One of the grandchildren, Adaobi Ezeagha narrated that they were still asleep at about four o’clock in the morning when some men of the Special Police Anti Cult Squad, Enugwu Ukwu scaled their fence and swooped on them claiming that they want to arrest a suspected cultists, Echezona aged twenty two.
” they jumped in, slapped me on my eye, pushed my grandmother who was asking them what was the matter, they beat my mother up and took my brother away.”

The first son of the deceased, Mr Marius Ezeagha wondered how security men would come into a house and start beating people up for no reason.
” I jjust woke up, I saw armed men, my mother was shouting for them to leave her grandson alone, they pushed her and she fell down and that was how I lost my mother”

A youth leader in Ifiteani village, Mr Marius Raphael Nduka regretted the incident and appealed to both the feyderal and State Governments to urgently address the increasing rate of killings by security operatives across the country.

In an interview, the President General of Agulu, Chief Andy Orakwelu who commended the youths for not taking to destruction of property during the protest, expressed the hope that concerned authorities would bring the perpetrators to book.

The member representing Anaocha one constituency at the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr. Ebele Ejiofor said though it was the duty of security agents to bring sanity to the society, there was the need for them to observe international best practices while carrying out their duties.

Two other sympathizers, Mr. Fidel One and Mrs. Perpetual Ezeagha noted that the boy was a tailor and had been sick but wondered why security operatives would be arresting and extorting people especially at such odd hour.

Radio Nigeria Correspondent who visited the scene of the incident, reports that angry youths blocked some major roads within the area in protest against what they called incessant arrest and extortion by the SPACS operatives .

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra State, Mr Haruna Muhammed in a statement, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. John Abang, who was deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident had ordered for a full scale investigation into the matter.

“The CP further assures the public that justice will be done in the case and the outcome of Police investigation shall be made public.” The statement added.

  UCHE NDEKE