From: David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi

First Vice President of Ihiala Progress Union (IPU) in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, Mr. Eloka Igwemezie, said that the security outfit has battled crime and criminality to a standstill in the town.

Igwemezie, who is also the commander of Ihiala Central Vigilance group, however, admitted that marijuana smokers and hard drug consumers still dare the vigilantes at Ihiala motor parks.”

The vigilance group commander made this known while briefing journalists, at Ihiala, on the activities of the outfit. He noted that motorcycle theft which was so rampart in the town had reduced to the barest minimum due to activities of his boys who he said had smashed the syndicates responsible for the dastard act.

He recalled with pride that the Ihiala central vigilante was able to recover, recently, a whooping sum of N300,000 that was stolen from a customer of a commercial bank in the town who had gone to make a withdrawal.

Igwemezie explained that his boys gave a hot chase to the hoodlums that perpetrated the dastard act and gave them a good fight until the money was recovered and restored to the owner.

He also revealed that child theft had equally reduced after the group had burst twelve syndicates responsible for stealing little children in the town.

Related News

He, however, noted that the new crime wave in Ihiala had to do with theft of overhead water tanks as criminals would go to people’s homes and upturned their water tanks to drain water before carting away the tanks.

Igwemezie revealed that the vigilance group was at present handling about twenty five cases of water tanks theft in the community.

He commended the President General of Ihiala Progress Union, Barr. Jude Ngobili and other stakeholders for taking care of the salaries and welfare of members of the security outfit in the town who had not been captured in the State government stipend list.

He expressed optimism that the Chief Willie Obiano- led administration would soon start paying twenty of the vigilance group members in Ihiala as done in other communities in Anambra.

Igwemezie noted that there is a good working relationship between the members of Ihiala central vigilante and other law enforcement agents, adding that his boys would always arrest and hand over the suspects to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.

He, however, regretted that Indian Hemp smokers had not heeded several warnings to leave the motor parks as he denied any understanding between the vigilance group and the Indian Hemp smokers or dealers.

“I must not fail to state that we collaborate with the special police anti-cult unit at Enugukwu, we work with the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS) and also the Ihiala Divisional Police Officer. We don’t detain, once we make arrests, suspects are promptly handed over to the police,” he concluded.