The Imo State police command has arrested suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN), who allegedly masterminded attacks on Omuma and Njaba police stations in the state last week.
According to the police command, the IPOB members stormed the police stations on two different occasions, in which a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was killed during one of the attacks.
The police said “one of the bandits, Emmanuel Nnaji ‘M’ age 15 years, a native of Awala in Ideato South LGA of Imo State”, was arrested with bullet wounds.
A statement released on Monday by CSP Michael Abattam, the Imo State police command spokesperson, stated that following an interrogation by the command’s tactical teams, “the arrested suspect gave a vivid description of a Hotel located in Orlu as were they, the bandits stayed, planned before they executed their dastardly act on the police stations. The suspect further stated that the owner of the Hotel has been accommodating and assisting them financially”.
Abattam said the suspect volunteered and led security forces to the location of the hotel.
“On arrival, the hotel and house were cordoned and searched the following exhibits were recovered from the arrested twenty six suspects including seven females in the hotel they incudes;
(1) ONE AK47 RIFFLE WITH TWO MAGAZINE LOADED WITH 55 ROUNDS OF LIVE AMMUNITION.
(2) FIVE PUMP ACTION GUNS
(3) TWO DOUBLE BARREL CUT TO SIZE GUNS
(4) FOUR DOUBLE BARREL LOCALLY MADE PISTOL
(5) THREE SINGLE BARREL LOCALLY MADE PISTOLS
(6) EIGHT SIX LIVE CARTRIDGES
(7) CHARMS
(8) TWO BAGS OF WEEDS SUSPECTED TO BE INDIAN HEMP
(9) BIAFRAN FLAG AND BERET
(10) ESN CAP
(11) FOUR PAIRS OF ARMY CAMOUFLAGE UNIFORMS AND A CAMOUFLAGE BAG
(12) A SIGN BOARD WITH BIAFRA INSIGNIA . It is on good record that, it was in the same hotel that the head of a young man was severed and placed on the road close to the hotel premises”, Abattam further stated.
In a related development, Abattam disclosed that an IPOB/ESN member, “Boniface Okeke ‘M’ age 57 years from Obor Autonomous Community in Orlu LGA of Imo State was arrested some months back in connection with terrorism and attacks on security agencies and private individuals where several Police stations were burnt down and police officers killed in numbers”.
The command’s spokesperson noted that upon interrogation, Okeke “confessed to being a facilitator and financer of IPOB/ ESN Operation in the state to the tune of ten million Naira ( #10,000,000 ) while he was outside the country.”
Abattam also said the suspect assisted the police in the arrest of some of their members and decimation of their camps in the state.
