IPOB/ESN Members Arrested Over Attack On Omuma & Njaba Police Stations

CHUKA UBAH

Sequel to the recent attack on Omuma Police Station and Njaba  Police Station respectively, which led to the unfortunate loss of a Divisional Police Officer, the Tactical team from the Imo State Command has arrested one of the bandits, Emmanuel Nnaji ‘M’ 15, a native of Awala in Ideato South LGA of Imo State, with bullet wounds and brought to the station. 

According to CSP Michael Abattam, Police PRO, on interrogation by the Command’s Tactical teams, the suspect gave a vivid description of a hotel located in Orlu, as where they, the bandits stayed, planned, before they executed their dastardly act on the Police stations. He further stated that, the owner of the hotel has been accommodating and assisting them financially. He then 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: 

(1) ONE AK47 RIFLE 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 PISTOLS 
(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.

Presently, investigation is ongoing and the suspects are undergoing interrogation. 

In like manner, it would be recalled that, in the same Orlu, some months ago during the peak of IPOB/ESN attacks and killing of Police officers including innocent citizens and burning of Police stations in the State that, the Command’s Tactical teams and Special Forces, after diligent gathering of technical intelligence, arrested one Boniface Okeke ‘M’, aged 57 years from Obor Autonomous Community in Orlu LGA of Imo State 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. 

On interrogation, he confessed being a facilitator and financier of IPOB/ESN Operations in the State to the tune of ten million Naira (₦10,000,000) while he was outside the country.

He assisted the Police in the arrest of some of their members and decimation of their camps in the state. 

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Abutu Yaro, while commending the good people of Orlu and Imo State in general, pleaded for calm as security agencies are doing everything humanly possible to sustain the already improved peace in state.