The purpose of neighbourhood watch groups constituted by the Enugu State government under the command of the state Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Human Development, Mr. Oguenyi is to assist the security agencies curtail crimes in the various communities.
But there are now emerging signs that some members of the group have turned to be the real threat, making life uneasy for the residents of the rural communities, by committing the crimes themselves through aiding the criminals.
A case in point in Owerri Ani village, Nsukka local government area of the state, is where some members of the neighbourhood group have reportedly embarked on a ploy of ripping the unsuspecting members of the community, by sending threatening messages of kidnap to them, should they fail to pay the ransom demanded.
A source alleged that a top official of the neighbourhood watch group (names withheld) has allegedly perfected a trick with two others in the group, to dupe members of the communities through kidnap threats or money.
According to the anti-kidnap unit of the state police command which eventually arrested the trio over their alleged culpability, various handsets containing the various numbers and names the criminals use in sending messages to the residents in the course of the threats have been recovered at a hide-out at No. 4 Owerri Ani village on September 27 this year.
The anti-kidnap squad of the command has also arrested one Emmanuel Ossai, who is alleged to have indulged in the same illegal business of sending threatening text messages to residents of Nsukka as ploy to extort money from the people.
Police Public Relations to the command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu said the arrest of Emmanuel Ossai had succeeded after surveillance was mounted on him by the squad.
Recently, a man and his girlfriend were arrested for allegedly sending a save our soul to his siblings, pleading with them to deposit N2million in the bank account of his girlfriend as ransom to pay some kidnappers who had abducted him in six days.