Ebonyi State Police Command, Wednesday said its operatives have killed four members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB and Eastern Security Network ESN, during a shootout in some communities in the State.
Among the items recovered from the Camp of the suspects include: 13 military hand grenades suspected to have been fabricated in Russia, 210 electrical detonators, 2 Lexus 300 Jeeps, 5 motorcycles of different makes, 2 pump actions, many single barrel guns, many ammunition of AK 47 and GPNG and about 30 military uniforms.
Briefing Journalists in Abakaliki, the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Chris Anyanwu stated that the men of the Command’s tactical team swooped on the hoodlums in the camp at Umuleje, Amaeze and Nkalaha communities in Ishielu Local Government Area of the State.
According to him, one of the suspects arrested earlier, led the team to the hideout of the suspects in a very thick forest adding that there is a lot of IPOB/ESN camps within and around the State.
“The hoodlums who sighted the first set of the operatives opened fire on them, but the tactical team had cordoned off the area and in the ensuring gun battle, the hoodlums were overwhelmed by police superior fire power.
“Two of the hoodlums had fatal bullet injury, two were neutralized on the spot, one was arrested while others ran into different directions.”
He noted that the day the men of the command invaded the hideout of the hoodlums was the market day of the community adding that some of the hoodlums who ran into into the market were seen shooting sporadically and looting the goods of the traders in the community.
Anyanwu maintained that the youths of the village in collaboration with the Vigilante apprehended one of the hoodlums whom they were calling unknown gunman and handed him over to the police.
He said that men of the Command destroyed the camps of the hoodlums and recovered items used in unleashing mayhem on the people.
Anyanwu said that other items recovered IPOB uniforms, Biafran flag, 6 bags of Indian hemp and many others.
The Police Public Relations Officer said that the hoodlums also engaged in the sale of arms stolen from police formations.
