ASABA residents were subjected to a major scare recently when touts at the Abraka Hausa Market along the Onitsha highway snatched a police corporal's AK47 rifle when he came there to patronise prostitutes. 

Simply identified as Corporal Monday, the policeman attached to the Delta State Police Command, was said to be a regular caller at the makeshift shanty brothels inside the market. As he entered the red light zone to catch some fun, however, he lost his service rifle top the hoodlums. 

One eyewitness said: “The policeman left his patrol team and we saw him entering one of the small rooms to see one girl but after some time, we heard him shouting that his rifle has been stolen. Initially, we thought he was just making trouble but later, we saw many policemen in the area, who started arresting everybody. 

He added that following the raid, traders in the market, many of whom slept in the stalls and other visitors in the area scampered for safety. However, many traders and some touts in the garage were arrested and hounded into police vehicles and driven away that night, with many people sustained injuries during the raid. 

One source at the Delta State Police Headquarters confirmed the incident, revealing that the policeman in question has since been taken into custody, awaiting prosecution. He added that the corporal was on patrol in the area before he suddenly went away from the rest of his colleagues only to later raise alarm that his rifle had been snatched. 

“What happened in Abraka market is carelessness on the part of the policeman. They were on patrol but he suddenly left his team to God knows where. 

“If he had been with his colleagues, nobody would have snatched his rifle, no matter how powerful the attacker may be. The cop displayed stupidity and now he is going to face the music,” the source added. 

The police source further disclosed that the police authority in the state would not rest until the rifle is recovered. According to the source, in the police, they do not play with the rifle because it is a symbol of their authority and loosing it carelessly is a crime that does not go unpunished. He added that the police will raid the area until the rifle is produced. 

Already, many Hausa traders and motor park touts in the market had since deserted the area for fear of being arrested. Also, many of the commercial sex workers living in the shanty stalls have run away for fear of police attacks.