THREE MASQURADES ARRESTED FOR DISTRUPTING CHURCH SERVICE IN ANAMBRA

“The normal masquerade activities in Uke, to the best of my knowledge, ends by 6 p.m. but as at 8 p.m. on Friday, the masqueraders were still parading at the entrance route of Uke Adoration ground, extorting money from our members and robbing others in the guise of masquerade festival’, a member of the church said.

“As at 8.30 p.m., we started receiving information that some masqueraders were attacking our members, flogging them and inflicting injuries. They flogged some of them, stabbed some with their weapons including machetes, while others were robbed of their mobile phones and other valuables’, the source added.

“We quickly contacted the SARS office to assist our Adoration security team, who could not handle the situation at that point in time. When SARS arrived an hour later, they arrested two masqueraders but on their way back, the youths blocked the road and insisted that the masqueraders must be released; that was when SARS officials fired shots in the air to disperse them’.

“When SARS left, they re-grouped and this time came in their numbers to the Adoration premises, beating everybody including the elderly, the sick and pregnant women. Our Adoration youths, in defence, pursued them and arrested one other masquerader, who stayed in the Adoration ground with us until this morning when we handed him over to the officials of the Nigerian Army, who came to our rescue.”