Ibe Pascal Arogorn
No fewer than 67 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and a native doctor who was in their company are cooling off in the custody of the Imo State Police command for alleged unlawful assembly.
A statement issued by the spokesman of the command, SP Orlando Ikeokwu and made available to Crimefacts noted however that the members of separatist group were actually rounded off by soldiers at a Military check point.
The statement read in part: “On the 9th of August, 2020 at about 0630hrs, Sixty-Seven (67) members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) converged somewhere in Orji, Owerri North Local Government Area and took off to Egbema. At about 0930hrs, operatives of the 34 Field Artillery Brigade while on duty at Mmahu Egbema Check Point, intercepted Sixty-Seven (67) members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and called for reinforcement from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Egbema.
The operatives of the Division swiftly mobilized to the scene and assisted in the evacuation of the suspects to the Divisional Police Headquarters for further action. They suspects are: –
- CYPRIAN AMADI 68YRS (NATIVE DOCTOR)
- WILFRED BASSEY 21YRS
- OHAEGBULAM 29YRS
- FIDELIS OKEDI 31YRS
- OBINNA ILOKA 29YRS
- ANYACHUKWU OKERE 47YRS
- EMMANUEL OBIDIAKU 32YRS
- OBIAGWU TOCHUKWU 38YRS
- ONYEDIKACHI NJOKU 38YRS
- GERALD AMAESHI 28YRS
- EBUKA OSUJI 20YRS
- OTUMBADI JOHN 25YRS
- AMADI UGOCHUKWU ‘M’ 19YRS
- UCHE THADEUS 37YRS
- UGOCHUKWU OHAOWE 32YRS
- FRANCIS UWAKWE 24YRS
- IKECHUKWU UBA 37YRS
- IFEANYI CHIMEZIE 20YRS
- IBEAJAH ALEXANDER 35YRS
- CHIBUIKE NKURUM 38YRS
- UCHE SAMUEL 30YRS
- NNACHI AUGUSTINE 30YRS
- CHINEDU AKUEKWE 33YRS
- MADU SAMUEL 35YRS
- IFEANYI AHANONU 22YRS
- NZE EMMANUEL 20YRS
- NJOKU KOSIDI 34YRS
- IBE JOSHUA 20YRS
- NNEKA OPARAKU ‘F’ 34YRS
- IKECHUKWU OKWU 38YRS
- IKEADA KELECHI 45YRS
- OKORO UDE 25YRS
- IZUCHUKWU UZOMA 28YRS
- CHIBUZO UNAKALAMBA 29YRS
- WISDOM MBUDU 18YRS
- IZUCHI OSUJI SOLOMON 18YRS
- MATHEW NWACHUKWU 25YRS
- NNAMDI OKARA 28YRS
- CHUKWUMA UDECHUKWU 26YRS
- DONATUS UCHENNA 25YRS
- CHISOGONUS EKE 24YRS
- SOPURUCHI ALANWOKE 33YRS
- CHEKUBE ASOLUKA 28YRS
- LIENAM OLACHI ‘F’ 45YRS
- ONWUDURUBA HAPPINESS ‘F’
- CHINEDU UNAKALAMBA 34YRS
- CHIKEZIE IHEJIETO 43YRS
- FRANCISCA NKWOCHA ‘F’ 50YRS
- PETER METU 24YRS
- RAPHAEL ORIAKU 33YRS
- OGECHI OPARA 21YRS
- SAMSON OKOH 3OYRS
- OKWUDILI FIDELIS 28YRS
- NNAMDI NWANNA 25YRS
- PRINCE CHIMEZIE NJOKU NWASI 35YRS
- OBINNA AJAEGBU 38YRS
- OGECHI OKWU 40YRS
- JOSEPH NWAOLISA 29YRS
- ONUEGBU EMMANUEL 18YRS
- AKACHI CHILEKPE 27YRS
- FRANCIS UMEZURUIKE 20YRS
- UCHENNA NWANKWO 34YRS
- CHIGOZIE NKWOCHA 34YRS
- KELVIN OKONKWO 34YRS
- IBETO EMMANUEL 47YRS
- CHINAZOM ANYANWU 32YRS
- MONDAY ESOWUNE 32YRS
- OGBONNA KENNETH 32YRS
The statement continued: “It was however revealed that the suspects were on their way to a native doctor one Mr. Cyprian Amadi of Abaseke Egbema in Ohaji/Egbema LGA, to fortify themselves against bullet penetration. It is believed that the group is planning an attack on security agencies with the aim of snatching weapons.
“The said suspect (Amadi Cyprian) had removed bullets from one of them (IPOB) whom had gunshot injuries in the past. It is also noteworthy that the group attacked and snatched two rifles from Police during a violent protest in 2018, of which the rifles were later recovered from a kidnap gang in a robbery operation.”
The Police spokesman maintained that IPOB has been proscribed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, and that as such, any gathering by the group is viewed as unlawful.
“They will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded”, Ikeokwu said.
