Asaba High Chief Obi Nduka Elunor has been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on charges related to land racketeering and the illegal possession of firearms in Asaba, the capital of Delta State.
Africa Today News, New York, gathered that DSS personnel arrested approximately seven of Elunor’s associates during a raid on the Obi’s palace at Anwai on Thursday evening, with some managing to escape and flee into the surrounding bush.
Information has it that, in an operation spanning several hours, the operatives discovered firearms and other items of potential legal concern at the palace.
A source familiar with the raid informed our correspondent that Elunor’s arrest came about following a petition filed against him by members of his community, alleging “land grabbing” in Ugwu-Nwosu land near the state capital of Asaba.
‘The DSS invited Obi Elunor to their office. As the Obi went to the DSS office, personnel of the operatives, numbering over 20, invaded the Obi’s palace.’
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‘AK-47 rifles and other things were recovered from the place; some of his men were arrested while others escaped.’
‘The DSS visited Asagba palace on the issue, but Asagba said he did not send Obi Elunor.’
‘I am aware that Obi Nduka Elunor had, in times past, evicted some suspected IPOB members who used the land as their hideout during operations, and he mounted a board with an inscription ‘Asagba of Asaba’ on the said land, all in a bid to scare people away from the land,’ the source narrated.
Meanwhile, a top civil servant in the state, who did not want his name to be mentioned, said he was not allowed to take the suspect on bail when he met DSS officials on Friday evening as they claimed the matter was still being investigated.
‘I don’t actually know anything about his arrest, I wanted to see if I could intervene,’ he said.
A senior DSS officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident and indicated that Elunor might either be released on bail or the case could be passed to the police for further investigations.