Armed youths invade mobile court in Delta State

UGHELLI — Three armed youths, weekend, disrupted the Delta State monthly environ-mental sanitation exercise in the Ughelli North Local Government Area. They dismantled a mobile court and chased away two unarmed police officers attached to the court.

The invasion of the mobile court in the outskirt of Ekiugbo-Ughelli metropolis on the East-West Road by the youths, forced sanitation officers of the council to scamper for safety.

The irate youths, who brandished cutlasses, released persons already apprehended for contravening the state environmental laws.

The offenders, which included one restaurant operator, four filling station attendants, a super market owner and an abattoir worker, already convicted and slammed with fines ranging from N5,000 to N10,000 by the mobile court, also took to their heels when they saw those prosecuting them running for dear life.

Vanguard gathered trouble started barely two hours after the exercise commenced. The youths, it was gathered, were on a rescue mission of a female worker at the abattoir at Ekiugbo Junction. She was said to have been found culpable by the court. The youths reportedly beat up the driver of the bus attached to the court.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr. Carl Moeteke, who spoke with newsmen at the Ughelli ‘A’ Police Division, insisted that the law would take its course on the matter. He expressed hope that the youths would be apprehended and made to face the law.

Deputy Director, Environment, Ughelli North Council, Mr. Stephen Jewhen, said he was taken aback by the incident.

He appealed to police authorities in the area to fish out the boys to serve as deterrent to other youths.

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By Festus Ahon 

Source: Vanguard