Elections: Police arrest suspected native doctors with charms, native chalks

Detectives attached to the Criminal Investigation Department ( CID) at the Delta State Police Command Asaba, while on routine patrol Thursday evening, arrested suspected native doctors in Okwe and Oduke communities near Asaba, and recovered from them bags of charms including native chalks.

Also, barely few hours to the general elections, the police within the areas of Oduke and Okwe communities, arrested two suspected tricycle thieves and recovered from them two cut to size guns including ammunition.

Acting Police Public Relations Officer in the State, ASP Chucks Orisewezie, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects to newsmen in Asaba, disclosed that the suspects were nabbed upon intelligence gathering by the police detectives on routine patrol to the areas, adding that two of the suspected native doctors identified as Sunday Luke and Christopher Davis confessed to have been commissioned by some politicians within the communities to ward off suspicion of illegal thumb printing that were planned for the elections, saying that the suspects were presently being detained for further investigation.

It was gathered that Oduke and Okwe communities have been under the siege of suspected cultists who double as armed robbers, and at night set out for robbery.

One of the residents of Oduke and Okwe communities, who spoke DAILY POST in the area, Stella Onwendi said: ”We have not been sleeping with our two eyes closed in the past three months; it’s either robbery incidents, or it will be horrible news on fetish activities. Native doctors are very many in these communities, the police have always been arresting them, yet they still frequent the communities with their charms. We are appealing to the Police to redouble their efforts to ensure we residents of Okwe and Oduke communities can sleep with our two eyes closed”.

Speaking further to newsmen, ASP Chucks Orisewezie, Acting Police Public Relations Officer in the State, said, “the police are doing everything possible to arrest the situation the residents of Oduke and Okwe communities are at present facing. The police have arrested several suspects Including ritualists and cultists in the areas, the Police are not relenting in its committed desires to ensure evil perpetrators operating in the areas are brought to book.

“The suspected native doctors and the suspected tricycle thieves will be charged to court on completion of investigation, while investigation continues, the police, therefore, appealed to members of the public to always provide useful information to the Police that will help to arrest and bring to book evil perpetrators.”