Three suspected cattle rustlers have been apprehended in the Onhiya community of Umuahia South Local Government Area, Abia State, by operatives of the state’s security outfit, Operation Crush.
The arrest followed a tip-off from the state’s Farmers-Herders Committee, which alerted security officials to the planned theft. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Navy Commander Macdonald Uba (retd.), disclosed this while briefing journalists in Umuahia on Monday.
“We have a very strong farmers-herders committee, who got the tip-off and forwarded the intelligence to Operation Crush. They swiftly moved in and made the arrests,” Uba said.
He noted that the suspects had been profiled by the Department of State Services (DSS), adding that the quick intervention prevented a situation that could have sparked tension in the community.
“We all know what would have happened if those cattle were rustled, especially the impact on the Onhiya community. The intention was to rustle the cattle from fellow Fulani herdsmen, potentially creating a false impression that the Onhiya community was responsible,” he explained.
Uba reaffirmed the administration’s stance on crime: “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.”
He 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.
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 Onhiya community if the animals had gone missing under such circumstances,” he said.
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.
