Police Station Attacked By Cult Members, Suspects Freed

Police station invaded by cult members

Police Station Raided By Armed Youths

The environs of Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State were thrown into dis-array after armed youths, suspected to be cult members, attacked the Eku Police Station which led to the freedom of some gang members.

Several properties in the community were reportedly destroyed by the armed youths who also injured some residents during the attack which lasted for about three hours.

The criminals, who were said to be up to 100 in number, had attacked the police station from different parts of the state to free their members who were detained by the police at check point.

The suspects were reported to have accessed the police station at around 9.30pm last Sunday after preventing the movement of vehicles and there after unleashing terror.

The incident that took place at Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, was said to have caught the police unaware as a large number of them fled the scene of the attack for their safety.

Sources had it that the attackers, who are members of different cult groups, including Eiye and Vikings, were all dressed up in black and had been terrorizing the environment since 2016.

The armed youths who had various weapons like guns, cutlasses, axes, broken bottles, did not only attack the police station but also allegedly robbed residents of their valuables.

15 arrested cult members were reportedly freed during the attack on the station.

A witness report has it that the men destroyed various vehicles and also prevented injured persons from being taken to the Baptist Government Hospital, Eku, for medical care.

He said, “Around 9.30pm, over 100 youths, whose ages ranged from 18 to 30 years, armed with cutlasses, axes and weapons believed to be guns, took to the streets of Eku. They robbed and attacked anybody in sight.

“Many people lost their valuables to the criminal gang, while some sustained varying degrees of injury.”

“The youths attacked the police station where they freed some of their members who were arrested by the police. It was a terrible situation.”

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident when contacted by our correspondent, adding that the community leadership did not know the reason for the attack.

He pleaded with the state Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and the state Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Mustapha, to beef up security in the area to prevent the situation from snowballing into a major security threat to the state government.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the attack saying there was no suspect in the police custody when the hoodlums struck.

He disclosed that some police operatives had been arrested and were being interrogated. He noted that the suspected cult members attacked a police post and not a police station.

He said, “The incident happened when some hoodlums literarily attacked the station. It is not a station per say; it’s an outpost. At the time of the incident, there was no suspect in our cell.

“Some persons are being trailed as masterminds. We do not want to engage in mass arrest. But nothing was destroyed and no arm was carted away. There was nothing of value that you can say was destroyed.

“It is when they (suspects) are arrested that we can know the reason for such an attack. We are not aware of any property being damaged.

“I can only speak when investigation has been done and facts have revealed the reason for their action. No police officer was injured but some persons (police officers) are being questioned as to why they will allow hoodlums into a station.

“The onus is on them to defend the station at all times, but if they do not, they will be called to account,” Aniamaka added.