Rumuolumeni Residents Alert On Scavengers

Residents of Rumuolumeni Community in Obio Akpor Local
Government Area of Rivers State, are now living in apprehension following
activities of criminals who disguise as scavengers to rob unsuspecting members
of the public in the area.

The Tide investigations reveal that the scavengers rob
residents at gun point when once they gain entrance into their houses in the
ploy to dispose wastes.

Speaking to journalists over the matter, Rumuolumeni Youth
President, Comrade Kenneth Olumeni stated that for about nine months now,
residents of the area have been living in perpetual fear over actvities of the
hoodlums who attack their victims mostly at night.

Aside robbing victims of their belongings, he disclosed that
young girls and women have equally been raped.

According to him, the hoodlums usually come out from the
dumpsites at Iwofe near the University of Education, where they lay ambush for
taxis and buses who ply the road at night.

Comrade Olumeni alleged that the hoodlums pretend to be
scavengers who pick scraps from the dumpsite, only for them to come out in the
night to rob people, after using the day to survey the area and mark houses to
attack.

The youth leader while lamenting the development, said the
community was a peace loving one and would not tolerate any form of criminal
activity, and therefore, called for the relocation of the dumpsite while  the police should beef up security in the
area.

Another resident who spoke to The Tide, Mr Harry Alalibo
noted that operation of the hoodlums has been on for over nine months, and
fingered the dumpsite of the Environmental Sanitation Authority in the area as being
responsible for swelling criminal activities in the community.

A victim, Mrs. Darlyn David, who was robbed few days ago,
said that the hoodlums entered her shop at about 8pm in the evening, and
ordered her to bring all the money she sold for the day at gun point.

Mrs. David revealed that the physical cash collected from
her was N50,000 while recharge cards worth over N25,000 was also collected from
her. She appealed to government to come to their aid by either relocating the
dumpsite or beef up security in the area.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Rivers State Enivonmental
Sanitation Authority, Mr Isobo Jack has called on residents to report
activities of the hoodlums to security agencies, stressing that the scavengers
do not work for the authority and as such have not been engaged by them.