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Operatives of the Abia State security outfit, Operation Crush, have areasted three suspected cattle rustlers in the Ohiya community of Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State.
Southeastposts reports that the arrest followed a tip-off from the state’s Farmers-Herders Committee, which alerted security officials to the planned theft.
Speaking on the development, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Navy Commander Macdonald Uba (retd.), who disclosed this while briefing journalists in Umuahia on Monday, noted that the suspects had been profiled by the Department of State Services (DSS).
He said the quick intervention prevented a situation that could have sparked tension in the community, adding that, “We have a very strong farmers-herders committee, who got the tip-off and forwarded the intelligence to Operation Crush,”
“We all know what would have happened if those cattle were rustled, especially the impact on the Ohiya community. The intention was to rustle the cattle from fellow Fulani herdsmen, potentially creating a false impression that the Ohiya community was responsible,” he explained.
He reaffirmed Governor Alex Otti’s stance on crime, saying, “Under the leadership of His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti, Abia State will yield no ground to criminals, especially those who seek to make life unbearable for law-abiding citizens.”
Uba also revealed that phones recovered from the suspects are now in custody and may lead to the arrest of the buyers, believed to be some “Alhajis” who were due to purchase the stolen livestock.
Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of the Hausa community in Abia State, HRH Eze Yaro Danladi, condemned the rustlers’ actions, noting the potential communal conflict it could have caused.
“One can only imagine what the rightful owners of the cattle might have done to the Ohiya community if the animals had gone missing under such circumstances,” he said.
Southeastposts further gathered that one of the arrested suspects, who is reportedly a herder, admitted during interrogation that they initially planned to take just one cow.
However, the Fulani owners accused them of attempting to steal five.
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