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The Imo State Police Command has confirmed killing a suspected kidnapper, Oluchukwu Elekwachi during a gun duel six months after the incident took place.
The confirmation followed a one-week ultimatum given to the command by an activist, Theodore Chinonso Ubah, to publicly confirm Elekwachi’s health or be dragged to court.
In a statement issued at the weekend, the spokesman for the police in the state, DSP Henry Okoye disclosed that Elekwachi sustained fatal injuries during a gun battle with operatives of the police on September 11, 2024.
Okoye added that Elekwachi, a native of Amara community in Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state, was rushed to the hospital for treatment but was later confirmed dead by a medical practitioner.
The command’s spokesperson disclosed that the body of the suspected kidnapper was deposited at the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri.
He alleged that a pump-action gun was recovered from Elekwachi, who he also claimed was a notorious kidnapper and a member of the Eastern Security Network.
Okoye described Elekwachi as one of the most wanted criminals in the state, who was linked to several violent crimes, including the 2022 kidnapping of a female police officer, the 2023 murder of a trailer driver at Orji flyover, and the 2021 attack on Owerri Police Barracks, where IPOB/ESN commander ‘Dragon’ was neutralized.
Okoye said, “Elekwachi also gang-ambushed and killed Inspector Samuel Akagu and Inspector Unah Utele as well as a civilian security personnel, Mr. Eddy Ogele, while they were on a stop-and-search operation at Amajohn Akabor in Ikeduru Local Government Area.
The spokesman added that while fleeing after killing the trio, Elekwachi’s gang operational vehicle broke down, stressing that surveillance footage captured Elekwachi and five of his accomplices trying to fix the broken-down vehicle.
He said the police thereafter launched a manhunt and tracked Elekwachi to his hideout at Amajohn Akabor where he opened fire on sighting the security operatives.
The command described as misleading and baseless Ubah’s claim that people had gone missing under the administration of the governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma.
