Vigilante operatives in Okija, Anambra State, have arrested and detained the pregnant wife of their colleague who allegedly stole at their security office.
The pregnant woman,± identified simply as Chidinma, was arrested by the operatives on Monday.
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The husband’s name was yet to be ascertained as of the time of this report.
How it happened
A human rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu, earlier on Wednesday raised the alarm via his Facebook page about the detention of the pregnant woman.
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Mr Gwamnishu said in a video clip which accompanied the post that the victim was six months pregnant.
He claimed that some vigilante operatives accused Chidinma’s husband of failing to repay the amount he allegedly stole from their office.
The human rights activist claimed the head of the vigilante unit insisted that they would continue to detain the pregnant woman until her husband was arrested.
He appealed to the police in the state as well as Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State to intervene in the matter.
Police fume
The police in Anambra State have expressed anger over the incident.
In a statement on Wednesday, Tochukwu Ikenga, the police spokesperson in the state, condemned the act of “indiscriminate detention and inhuman treatment of crime suspects” by some members of the Anambra Vigilante Group in the state
Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the Anambra State Police Command has now rescued the pregnant woman.
The spokesperson said the victim was detained over a case of alleged stealing by her husband in the security office at Okija, a community in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.
Mr Ikenga said the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnaghe Obono, learned about the incident through the video clip uploaded by Mr Gwamnishu.
He said Mr Obono has also ordered an investigation into the incident.
The police commissioner, according to the statement, assured that the “root causes” of the incidents would be addressed to avert future occurrences.
He also initiated “necessary moves with relevant authorities” to checkmate the excesses of the few unprofessional vigilante operatives in the state.
