Police authorities in Anambra State have apprehended three individuals suspected of being cultists who were allegedly posing as police officers.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement released on Wednesday by the state police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, a superintendent of police.
According to Ikenga, officers from the Special Anti-Cultism Squad detained the suspects on Wednesday morning in Enugu Ukwu, located in the Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
One of the suspects, identified as 50-year-old Chidi Ekwesiri from Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area, was initially arrested during a surveillance operation along the Onitsha–Enugu Expressway near UNIZIK’s Temporary Site in Awka.
During questioning, Ekwesiri falsely claimed to be a sergeant in the Nigeria Police Force stationed in Lagos. However, he later retracted his statement.
Information obtained from him led to the capture of two additional suspects, who are currently being interrogated.
The police reportedly recovered an automatic pump-action firearm and a police uniform during the operation.
Ekwesiri admitted that the weapon was provided by an unidentified individual in Ukpo, a community in Dunukofia Local Government Area.
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnaghe Obono, has directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for further investigation.
The suspects are expected to face charges once the inquiry is concluded.