The Enugu State Police Command in Nigeria has announced the arrest and arraignment of a masquerader accused of assaulting a woman in the Nsukka area of the state.
In a statement released on Thursday, Command Spokesman DSP Daniel Ndukwe reported that the masquerader, known locally as Oriokpa, was intercepted and arrested on May 12, 2024, at approximately 3:45 p.m. by operatives of the Nsukka Sector of the Command’s Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad.
According to Ndukwe, the masquerader was caught physically assaulting a female victim at Ugwuoye Junction in Nsukka when law enforcement intervened. The masquerader, identified as 22-year-old Ugwuoke Ebube, was subsequently arraigned in court on Wednesday in Nsukka and granted bail.
Ndukwe noted that an investigation by the police revealed that Ebube was part of a group of masqueraders who had similarly assaulted a female nurse riding a motorcycle, an incident that was captured in a viral video in April 2024.
He was today, May 22, 2024, arraigned in the Nsukka Magistrate Court of Enugu State, Nigeria, but was granted bail by the court,” Ndukwe confirmed.
The state Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, condemned the assault and issued a stern warning to those who use cultural masquerades as a guise to commit criminal acts. Uzuegbu emphasized that the police will not hesitate to prosecute anyone found guilty of such offenses, as demonstrated in this case.
