The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two persons suspected to be members of a proscribed secessionist group following a gun battle at Enugwu Agidi Junction in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, SP Ikenga Tochukwu, the arrest occurred in the early hours of Wednesday and marked another significant operational breakthrough in the Command’s sustained efforts to rid the state of criminal elements and ensure the safety of lives and property.
SP Ikenga stated that police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, acting on credible and actionable intelligence, laid an ambush for a five-man gang of armed hoodlums suspected to be armed robbers, cultists, and members of a proscribed secessionist group at Enugwu Agidi Junction.
He explained that upon sighting the operatives, the suspects engaged them in a fierce gun battle that lasted for about two hours.
He said that during the exchange, two of the suspects sustained fatal gunshot injuries, while the remaining three fled the scene with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.
The police spokesperson disclosed that the operatives recovered one (1) T.06 rifle, two (2) pump-action guns, twenty-four (24) rounds of T.06 ammunition, fifteen (15) live cartridges, assorted criminal charms, one cult red beret, and one black Toyota Highlander vehicle from the scene.
He further revealed that while in critical condition, one of the arrested suspects confessed that members of the gang were among those who carried out a failed attack on the convoy of the former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.
The suspect also admitted to being a member of the strike squad of the Vikings Confraternity and stated that the group was on a retaliatory mission following the killing of one of their members by a rival cult group.
The Police Command recalled that its operatives had earlier successfully repelled the attack on the former minister, thereby foiling the criminal intentions of the assailants.
SP Ikenga noted that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, FWC, MNIPS, PhD, while commending the gallantry and professionalism of the operatives, charged them to intensify efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects, particularly those who escaped with gunshot injuries.
Meanwhile, the Police Command has advised hospitals and other medical facilities across the state to admit and provide necessary medical care to individuals with gunshot wounds or related injuries, but to ensure that such cases are promptly reported to the nearest police station.
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