Ika Weekly gathered that the notorious armed robbery gang leader, popularly known as Berekete is alive, has been released by the authority instead of being prosecuted and is in town.
Residents in Ika land who have been joining hands with the government and citizens at large to abate crime in the area expressed displeasure over the sudden news that some arrested hoodlums, including Berekete, who were said to have committed crimes in different parts of Ikaland have been allegedly released.
Residents who pleaded anonymity with Ika weekly reporter expressed disappointment, stating that justice no longer prevails in the country. They said it is a big surprise to them following the news that some notorious criminals who knew that they were going to face death penalty when they were caught and handed over to the law enforcement agents for justice, were later set free. The question being asked now is how could the most wanted Brekete who had killed many people, carried out kidnapping, robbery and has led young boys into joining cultism be allegedly released with undisclosed amount of money. They disclosed that hoodlums who had also robbed a filling station located along Alisimie road in Agbor and attempted rape, as well as the suspected cultist named Henry Okoh, arrested with guns and live cartridges in Agbor last week Monday, August 18, 2014 attempting with his gang to assassinate a rival cult member but unfortunately shot a woman in her breast, who was supposes to spend long term serving in jail were also released, thereby walking freely in the areas.
The residents in their separate comments accused the politicians in Ika land of being behind the release of the hoodlums for the purpose of recruiting them for the coming elections. Adding “corruption has taken over the entire political system which is a threat to the legitimacy of the government.”
A respondent, Kenneth Ihenkoyen who expressed worry about the release of the hoodlums, observed that, now that these hoodlums are freed, residents will remain unsecured most especially the lives of those who have hands in their arrest. Those whose faces were seen are now at risk. In this regard, he opined that it is better for residents to give justice to criminals caught by themselves to make the criminal regret ever getting involved in crime, explaining that if the criminal survives the treatment given to him, it will as well serve as deterrent to others instead of handing them over to the law enforcement agents who will in no distant time set the hoodlums free.
He noted that it is unpleasant for a bereaved family to continually see the hoodlum who killed their person working freely in the environment, lamenting that even the criminals that are freed still go back to continue committing same crime in or outside the society. He asks "how do one expect residents to feel comfortable assisting the security agencies again", adding that residents will now feel that they will be putting their lives at risk by doing so. “I also wish to draw the attention of all Nigerians to this growing intolerance and impurity of politicians encouraging crime as these developments pose a major threat to our hard-earned democracy and we all have a responsibility to defend our country. Therefore we must not allow the inordinate ambitions of a few people to plunge the entire country into avoidable crises”.
Residents however concluded by declaring to hold the police and soldier responsible if the released hoodlums continues to commit crime in the society.
Ikaworld.com
Leave a Reply