The Police have confirmed the arrest of three persons in connection with violent attacks on Mempeasem and Lukula communities in the Savannah Region, by opposing factions in land and chieftaincy disputes.
A police statement said the arrest comes on the back of an incident which occurred on May 30, 2023, after a gang numbering about fifty (50) invaded the Mempeasem community and kidnapped a 50-year-old man.
The gang, however, fled into the bush when the Police responded to the attack.
The Police managed to rescue the kidnapped victim and retrieved one (1) AK-47 weapon together with 14 rounds of ammunition, seven (7) motorbikes and two (2) bicycles from the scene of the incident. A search for the suspects in the area led to a further retrieval of a bag containing 240 AK-47 ammunition.
The Police, however, on Thursday, June 1, while on patrols within the communities, responded to another distress call of an attack by another gang on the Lukula community.
The said suspects who were on a rampage, burning houses and shooting randomly, opened fire on the Police upon seeing them.
In a quick response, the Police immediately succeeded in arresting three of the suspects, namely, Razak Sulemana, Musah Shanun and Karim Abdul Rafiuw.
All three suspects sustained gunshot wounds according to the police during their arrest and are currently receiving treatment at a medical facility.
“A search conducted on them led to the retrieval of one (1) pump action gun, two (2) single barrel guns, one long knife, 80 live cartridges, some talismans and cowries,” the police said in its statement.
Following the incident, an 81-year-old man from the Lukula community who was allegedly shot by the rampaging gang on his farm was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead by the authorities.
His body has since been deposited at the hospital for preservation and autopsy, the police stressed.
In the midst of Police encounter with the suspects and the subsequent arrests, some individuals believed to be sympathisers of those arrested, attacked the Daboya Police station, causing damage to properties.
The Police, however, resisted the attack and took control of the situation where calm has been restored and security has been strengthened in Daboya and its surrounding communities to forestall further attacks.
The security agency says efforts are currently ongoing to get the perpetrators, including those who attacked the police station, arrested to face justice.
