The Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra State, also known as OCHA Brigade, has confirmed the arrest of its operatives involved in a shooting incident that claimed the life of a pregnant woman and others.
The News Chronicle correspondent reports that the operatives were said to be on an enforcement exercise at the Emeka Offor plaza axis of Main Market, Onitsha, when an altercation ensued between them and traders.
This led to a shooting that sent panic among traders and customers in the market.
An eyewitness said the shooting led to the death of four people, including a pregnant woman.
Police authorities have insisted that only one woman died, while four others were injured and rushed to the Onitsha General Hospital for treatment.
The incident had raised condemnation on the activities of some law enforcement agents recruited by the state government.
But when contacted, the Managing Director of OCHA Brigade, Mr Celestine Anere reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to law, order, and public accountability.
Noting that the enforcement operation that led to the altercation was not authorized, Anere said the operatives who went on the exercise have been taken into custody.
According to him, every enforcement operation embarked on by the agency is to be sanctioned by him, but the operatives took the initiative by themselves without recourse to the standard procedure of the agency.
He said, “The operation was not approved by the leadership of the agency, and such unsanctioned actions contradict the clear standards guiding the operations of the Brigade.
“Those involved have been taken into custody and will be handed over to the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) for thorough investigation.”
Mr Anere revealed that he had reached to the victims receiving treatment and offset their hospital bills.
He, however, said there is a need for a thorough investigation into the matter to uncover what led to the alleged attack on the operatives by some traders.
“Information I got from some traders themselves was that the operatives were attacked and were about to be mobbed by some traders.
“We want the investigation to uncover who played what role in the entire incident, and anyone found culpable will be made to face the law.
“Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration remains on top gear in its efforts to entrench discipline, restore sanity, and ensure a clean, green, and livable Anambra.
“For us, we want to assure Anambra people that all enforcement activities of the OCHA Brigade must strictly align with the law establishing the agency,” he concluded.
