By Peter Okutu

Ebonyi State Police Command, yesterday, said it has arrested thirty-three (33) persons including minors who engaged in fraudulent practices, attempted abortion and violation of the social distancing measure put in place by the state government to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the State.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah confirmed the arrest to newsmen in Abakaliki.

She said that the minors who packed themselves in one-room apartment violated the COVID-19 law on social distancing order of Ebonyi State government.

The police spokesperson noted that the minors came from different states of the Federation, and have stayed for some weeks in one room.

She further noted that the minors were arrested following information by a reliable source who reported the incident to the police, alleging that they were committing fornication that resulted to the pregnancy of one of the female occupants.

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According to her: “We arrested 33 persons between the ages of 17 to 23 years. They were 33 in a one-room apartment. That is not their parent’s house. We asked them what they are doing in the room.

“They said that they were networking. And they are living in someone’s house. The owner of the house could not report to the police that such persons are in his place. Not until the police discovered through someone who reported to one of our divisions.

“The minors came from different states; Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Delta, Ekiti and many others. Apart from FCT and two other states, it would have completed 36 States of the Federation in one room. How can parents allow their children of that age to leave their houses without them knowing their way about?

“It is worrisome that, it is a mixed-up of male and female staying together in one room. There was a rumour that one of the girls among them is pregnant and have taken a pregnancy pill to terminate it” she stated.

Odah, however, said that there is an increase in crime rate in Ebonyi, resulting from the lockdown and banning of Okada in the state but assured of the preparedness of the police command to arrest anyone found terrorizing the people of the state.

“Those touts who are no longer working have gone to the street to terrorise citizens of the state. The lockdown is almost affecting everybody, you can imagine that Okada riders are no more working.

“Many people are now trekking and by so doing those hoodlums will snatch their bags and other belongings. There is an increase in crime but the police are doing their best to curtail it. People should go home on time and be security conscious.

“We have received a report of a stolen pot of soup and Jollof Rice. A woman was cooking and went inside to take something and on coming out, her pot of soup was stolen and this shows that there is hunger in the land.

“People in Ebonyi does not believe that COVID-19 is real. They would say that virus can not bear a sweet name like ‘Coronavirus’ and some of the citizens in the rural areas are even celebrating it,” she noted.

Vanguard