By Peter Uzoma
A once sleepy and peaceful community, Orogwe in Owerri-West has started paying the price of urbanization as all manner of persons are now buying lands and erecting structures as is synonymous with development.
Last Sunday (26/5/19) evening, a team of policemen presumably from the Special Anti robbery Squad, Imo State Police command, fully armed, stormed an area in Orogwe called Akwakuma Layout in search of a suspected dare devil armed robber and kidnapper whose names are yet to be disclosed.
The suspect, fair in complexion of average height and bearded, was said to have packed into one of the yards of recent with his girlfriend.
A source told Trumpeta that the Police had earlier visited the area to make inquires and met a lady co-tenant who sincerely told them that the name was not familiar. The policemen left and promised to come again.
Unknown to the co-tenant, the suspects girlfriend who had been watching through their window came out to find out the mission of the Policemen.
The co-tenant jokingly told her that they were looking for Yahoo boys and kidnappers, not knowing that the girl was living with a kidnapping suspect.
The girlfriend to the suspect became apprehensive and hurriedly entered their apartment, brought out a sack bag and hide it in a close by uncompleted building. This raised the curiosity of the co-tenant who wanted to know the contents of the bag. To her shock, the sack contained 2 AK 47 riffles.
She then alerted the landlord who directed the girl to remove them at once with a threat that they must pack out. The girl quickly took the bag back and busied herself with calls. She then disappeared.
Not quite long, a team of armed police numbering about thirty arrived the scene with a Toyota Hilux Van, a Toyota Hummer Bus and Toyota Camry. The house was busted and a bag of rice containing live ammunitions, Military uniforms were found in the room and those 2 Ak 47 riffles was later found over the fence.
A Police source told Trumpeta that the suspect and his gang killed a lady the previous Saturday night, shot three Policemen and made away with their riffles. The source said they came with a member of the gang who was guiding them in their mission to Orogwe.
Meanwhile, the Police team had evacuated all likely exhibits in the house and as well arrested the landlord who was the man they saw on ground.
In another development, a landlord in Orogwe has been disposed of his Toyota Highlander last Tuesday.
Reports say the man returned late that fateful evening and parked his car, put on the Gen and went to undress when suddenly the Gen went off.
The wife went out to find out why but was quickly surrendered by robbers who have came in through the fence and laid siege. With their guns, they asked her to lead them to the husband.
They got the man and demanded for his car key, ATM card and pin code. He gave them the car key and faked a pin code which the robbers suspected but because of the freshness of the kidnap story, the robbers quickly left with the car.
Meanwhile, community leaders in Orogwe have appealed for protection and called for the demolition of the building where the suspected lived as a deterrent to other landlords who may be harboring criminals in their compounds.
