The Anambra Police Command, yesterday, denied claims by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) that the bodies recovered at Ezu River were those of its members allegedly arrested and killed by its men.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Ballah Nasarawa, made the denial at a news conference in Awka.

Nasarawa was reacting to media reports credited to MASSOB accusing the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the command of killing and dumping its members into the river.

Nineteen bodies were on January 19, recovered from the river in Amansea, Anambra's community with Enugu State.

Three of the corpses were deposited at Amaku General Hospital morgue for autopsy on January 28.

The commissioner wondered why it took MASSOB members three weeks after to go and identify the bodies, describing the media report as "malicious and unfounded allegation.

"I am confident that they are making this allegation because the command has made it impossible for them to continue to commit atrocities against the peace loving people of this state.

"To put the records straight, all suspected criminals arrested under the guise of MASSOB were duly charged to court for prosecution.

"As of now, many have been remanded in prison custody facing trial, but at no time did my command arrest persons bearing the names mentioned in the publication," the police boss said.

Nasarawa, who stressed that MASSOB had been proscribed by the government, further warned that any person hiding under the canopy or pretext of MASSOB or any illegal organisation would be arrested and prosecuted.

"I will not fold my arms as the commissioner of police and allow criminal elements under whatever guise unleash terror on innocent citizens.

"I am unshaken by this spurious allegation and my fight against all forms of crime and criminality is total and non-negotiable," he said.

The commissioner said that the command abhorred extra-judicial killings and could not be part of such.