The Imo State Police Command has announced the arrest of 8 suspected members of the oproscribed Indigenous People of Biafra Group, IPOB.
Commissioner of Police in the Command, Mohammed Ahmed Barde, disclosed this while speaking on the operational successes of the command in the last few weeks.
He added that the operation was in response to the heightened activities of hoodlums and terrorists like IPOB and Others.
He said the Police after credible intelligence swooped on the hoodlums who had attacked Agwa Police Station on 5 August 2022 suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militia affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN) where four gallant police officers lost their lives.
The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Mohammed Ahmed Barde after an on the spot assessment of the incident immediately, directed the Command’s tactical teams to commence detailed investigation to unravel the perpetrators of the dastardly act.
The Command’s tactical teams, on the 6 August 2022 at about 0300hrs, after diligent gathering of credible intelligence, raided some identified criminal hideouts located between Agwa and Izombe communities in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, where the hoodlums, on sighting police operatives engaged them in a gun duel, in an attempt to escape arrest; but were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the operatives.
While some suspects escaped, eight persons were arrested, they include the following: – Obioma Chibuike (Male) age 18 years, Achazie Chidiebere (Male) age 22 years, Onyedikachi Nwadike (Male) aged 19 years, Anayo Onyemere(Male) aged 51 years, Ifeanyi Mboyi (Male) aged 26 years, Chukwudi Onyeausi (Male) aged 29 years, Obodo Promise (Male) aged 17 years, Ifeobu Ebubechi (Male) aged 22 years.
On-the-spot enquiry revealed that all the arrested suspects were natives of Agwa and Izombe communities respectively. Their weapons were recovered when their hideouts were searched, they includes; one pump action gun, two locally made guns, six cutlasses, one Biafran flag, eight live cartridges, eight expended cartridges and one masquerade apparel.
On their way out of the hoodlums’ hideouts, one of the overzealous suspects, Ifeanyi Mboyi attempted to escape from the lawful custody of the operatives and was swiftly demobilized by the ever-gallant police operatives. The suspect sustained bullet injury on his left leg and was taken to Federal Medical Center Owerri, Imo State, where he is undergoing treatment. and is in a stable condition.