Obollo-Afor Road.
DAILY POST gathered that in the past few weeks,
masquerades had continuously mounted road
blocks in such areas as Eha-Alumona, Ovoko-
Obollo-Afor, among several other public roads,
inflicting heavy wounds on motorists and
dispossessing them of their valuables.
A police officer in Nsukka who pleaded anonymity
told DAILY POST on Saturday that the police
moved into action when the victim, Mr. Chinonso
Ezewaji reported the matter at Nsukka Police Area
command.
He said when two of the masquerades were
arrested, others ran way.
According to him, "when the police team reached
Ovoko, along Nsukka–Obollor-Afor Road, where
the masquerades were operating, two of the
policemen in the bus pretended as if they wanted
to give the two masquerades money; they
stretched their hands to collect it and that was
how we hand-cuffed them and others ran away.
"Eight masquerades have been on that road since
morning tormenting road users; the two of them
we arrested have denied involvement in robbing
the trader, but they have given the names of the
culprits.
"When we searched one of the arrested
masquerades, we saw Indian hemp in his pocket".
When contacted, DSP Ebere Amarizu, Enugu State
Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the
incident, noting that the police has commenced
investigations into the matter.
Amarizu urged communities to regulate and
monitor those who wear masquerades as some of
them were hiding on it to harass, intimidate and
rob innocent members of the public.
"Police is not against any culture but community
leaders must know the character of people they
allow to wear masquerades in the name of
culture.
"A masquerade has no right to mount a road
block on busy roads where motorists,
motorcyclists and other road ply on daily basis.
"The police has commenced investigations and
must get to the root of this matter as issue of
masquerades disturbing people has become a
recurring decimal", he said.
Narrating his experience, the victim (Ezewaji), a
trader, said he was on his way from Nsukka to
Obollo-Afor when the masquerades in Ovoko
stopped him, gave him the beating of his life,
after which "they searched me and collected N57,
000 from my pockets".
Meanwhile, the two masquerades, who identified
themselves as Kenchukwu Eze, a carpenter and
Ejiofor Eze , brick-layer alleged that they were not
part of the team that robbed the victim. They
gave the name of the masquerade involved as
Chima Mamah.
"We only collected N20, N100 and N500 from
people; we didn't participate in collecting the
N57,000″, one of them claimed.
However, kenechukwu Eze, while admitting that
the police recovered Indiam Hemp from him, said
"If police will release me, I will not wear
masquerade or smoke Indian hemp again. It is
the left-over of the one we smoked before coming
out", he said.
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