Some residents of Aba, in Abia state have asked the police to deploy more officers in the area following spate of armed robberies.
This is coming on the heels of the beheading of an Assistant Superintendent of Police along East Street, Ndiegoro and threat to sack residents of the area by a criminal gang operating in the place.
The ASP, popularly known as “Agbalagba” who hailed from Ebonyi State, was gruesomely murdered with his head cut off along East Street on Tuesday morning at about 5 am, while the gang made away with his gun and uniform.
An impeccable police source linked the killing of the ASP to a notorious criminal group whose leader was killed during a gun battle on Sunday, April 23, 2023.
According to the source, on April 23, the leader of the gang who is popularly known in the area as JT met his waterloo in a gun battle with the police when he was sighted carrying out criminal activities.
The source revealed that JT and his gang, on sighting the police officers, opened fire and tried to flee but the policemen gave them a hot chase up to the Orji Uzor-Kalu bridge linking Ngwa Road, Pepples Road and Akpu Road.
Continuing, the source stated that JT on seeing the determination of the police to get him arrested jumped into the Aba River to try to escape through the Ovom/Azumini link of the river but he was gunned down right inside the river.
It was gathered that residents of the area had celebrated the demise of JT, believing that one of their biggest fears and adversaries had left them, but the incident of Tuesday at East Street where the gang killed the police superintendent sent shivers down the spine of residents in the area.
A resident, who pleaded to remain anonymous, said that the incident has sent many residents of East Street, Ngwa Road, Akpu Road, Ndoki Street, Etche Road, and Ulasi Road all within the Ndiegoro axis into panic mode as the criminals were said to have threatened that police and residents would be targeted.
“With what we heard, they said they’ve declared war on the police and we the residents. I don’t know what happened but the way they killed the ASP, with his head removed and during the murderous act shows that this city needs serious attention now,” he said.
A retired police officer, who equally preferred to speak anonymously for fear of reprisals, told our correspondent that the gang threatened to burn down police formation and attack more officers, adding that it was time for the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of police, and other security heads to pay attention to what is happening in Ndiegoro, especially the areas linking it with Ogbor-Hill.
“The police officer that was killed along Tenant Road by East Street had his head cut off, his arms carted away and his uniform taken away as well. What does that tell you? The criminal activities are too much yet the Commissioner of Police in Abia is behaving as if nothing is happening.
“I don’t know if the IGP is not getting reports of how these boys are causing us to fear and threatening his own men on duty. Aba seriously needs more police manpower. We have only eight functional police stations policing urban areas of the five local governments in Aba here.
“Do the Ohuru-Isimiri Division, Ndiegoro Division, Central Police Station, Uratta Division, Eziama Division, Azuka Division, World Bank (Abayi) Division and Osisioma Division have the manpower and equipment to handle what’s currently unfolding here? Even the presence of Mopol 55, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Eziama and the anti-kidnaping unit, Aba Annex in Ndiegoro boundary with Ovom is not enough.
All efforts to get a reaction from the Abia State Police Command spokesman, Mr Geoffrey Ogbonna, proved abortive.
