Police in Anambra State have paraded eight persons arrested in connection with the vandalisation of the newly constructed Second Niger Bridge.
The state police command also recovered iron grills, and drainage covers removed from the bridge by the vandals.
Anambra State Police Commissioner, Aderemi Adeoye, stated this on Monday, during a press briefing, in which he paraded about 129 suspects apprehended for varying crimes.
Others paraded alongside the vandals are suspected members of various cult groups terrorising the state capital, Awka, suspected members of the separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who kidnap victims and armed robbery suspects among others.
Adeoye while addressing journalists said: “I have been here as CP for three months, and today I’m here to tell the public the progress we have made in fighting crime and providing security for Anambra people.
“We hail the unprecedented support from members of the public, the media and state government, which has helped us to restore normalcy.
“Vandalisation of the Second Niger Bridge has continued. A month ago, the Federal Ministry of Works alerted us to the activities of vandals on the project, which was built at a huge cost.
“I visited, observed the damage and gave a marching order to smash the syndicate. In collaboration with the ministry and Julius Berger, five suspects were arrested who specialised in stealing iron grills and drainage covers on the bridge.
“Based on their confession, we moved in and arrested three people who bought the irons from them.”
The commissioner while speaking on the arrest of cultists lamented the spate of cult-related killings in Awka especially.
“It was a major cause for concern and people felt unsafe, but we reassured them. We went to work, and within a week, 34 cult suspects were arrested and charged to court, and the judiciary remanded all of them to prison custody.
“We also tracked one of the most serious killers and arrested him in his hideout in Enugu. He said his gang had killed four in the last six months, ” he said.
In total, the commissioner paraded 129 suspects, while 26 firearms, 93 ammunition, 25 vehicles, 14 tricycles and seven motorcycles were received. Also recovered are one roll of armoured cables and 16 iron grills from the bridge.