By Nwabueze Okonkwo

ONITSHA – No fewer than 10 suspected armed robbers  and an illegal oil refinery operator were arrested  by the Navy in Onitsha, Anambra State, and handed over to the police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence  Corps, NSCDC. The Navy also foiled an attempted bloody clash that would have erupted between herdsmen and Odekpe community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the arrests yesterday, shortly after they chased the herdsmen out of Odekpe community, the Commander of Onitsha Naval base, Navy Captain M Y Dahiru, told newsmen that but for the quick intervention of his men, on hearing a distress call from the President-General of Iyiowa Odekpe Community, Chief Agozie Okoye, the herdsmen who had already invaded the community with their cows destroying their crops, farmland  and economic trees, would have had a bloody clash with the community.

According to Dahiru, “I have been able to arrest about 10 suspected armed robbers that included motorbike armed robbers,  and one oil refinery operator and we have handed them over to the police and NSCDC”

“Kidnappers, illegal dredgers, oil thieves and others who use the River Niger as their base should better leave now because we will not spare them”, he cautioned. Speaking on the foiled herdsmen/Odekpe clash, Chief Okoye thanked the commander for his prompt action adding that “he has shown that he  is ready for criminals in the area”.