By Daniel Abia – P/Harcourt
A combined team of police operatives from Rivers and Imo State commands have stormed and overran the Aggah ‘evil forest’, a notorious hideout for cultists and serial kidnappers in an operation that lasted over three hours. The police also arrested of 15 suspects and recovered cache of arms and ammunition during the operation.
Aggah is a border community between Rivers and Imo State. According to the police the forest had been a source of worry in the last one month due to criminal activities traced to the place.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike said that “Aggah has been a pressure point in the last one month caused by cult activities. Aggah is a border community between Rivers and Imo State. As I speak to you a joint operation between Rivers and Imo command is on-going.
“Early Wednesday morning, we chose our timing and moved in with full intensity. Hoodlums, cultists and kidnappers have been using it as a hideout where they run to after molesting people apparently because it is a difficult terrain. We operated there and three of their notorious camps have already been destroyed.
“Our men arrested 15 suspects who were brought to our command here in Rivers State. The same yesterday some notable people from Aggah held a meeting in Port Harcourt with some of the warring factions that have been terrorising innocent people in Aggah at the Imo State side of the border. And they are going back to hold a meeting with the entire community.”
He added that “Aggah remains a pressure point and the Nigerian Police is doing everything to address it. We cannot allow a group of hoodlums with deviant behaviour to continue to molest, harass and intimidate innocent Nigerian going about their legitimate business and private lives. No, this cannot continue any longer”.
He admitted that the combined team of armed police operatives are currently strategically positioned in Aggah forest and would remain there for some time. Although he would not say if there were any casualties during the operation, he added that “the police is in full control of the Aggah forest and no cultist or kidnapper can ever set foot in that place. The once dreaded Aggah forest is now a security zone.”
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police added that special operations have also been ordered in Eleme, Ubima, and Emohua areas in Rivers State “because of the menace of cultists and kidnappers in some parts of the state.
“Consequently, police mobile force personnel, tactical units and special detectives have been fully deployed to these areas for an initial period of two weeks with a likelihood of extension. Residents of affected areas should not panic but are enjoined to cooperate with the operatives.
“I hereby call on all traditional rulers, community, opinion and religious leaders including influential individuals to call their children and wards to order. I am reiterating this position and wish to implore them to ensure this advice is taken in good faith and complied with. To do otherwise will obviously bring them in conflict with the law with many unpleasant consequences”.
He thanked Governor Nyesom Wike who provided adequate logistics to ensure that the joint operations were successful, adding that, “we appreciate the governor for giving full support to this new offensive against cultist, kidnappers and armed robbers”.
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