Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command have raided a suspected secessionist camp in Owerre-Ezukala, Orumba South Local Government Area of the state, recovering a large cache of sophisticated weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices.
The operation was carried out by officers attached to the Inspector General of Police’s Violent Crime Response Unit under the Rapid Response Squad in Awkuzu and led by Chief Superintendent of Police Orebe Mathew.
According to the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the raid followed credible intelligence obtained from a 37-year-old suspect already in police custody, identified as Nnamdi Ogbonna, who was described as one of the top commanders of the proscribed group.
Ikenga said the security operatives stormed the camp during a coordinated clearance operation that lasted several hours and resulted in a fierce gun duel between the officers and the armed suspects.
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He explained that the suspects were eventually dislodged from the hideout and fled into nearby bushes with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
Among the items recovered during the operation were one General Purpose Machine Gun with about 2,000 rounds of live chain ammunition, two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers, 10 locally made Improvised Explosive Devices, one locally made Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, three hand grenades, and 10 rounds of K2 live ammunition.
The police also recovered a gas cylinder and a black Ecolac box believed to have been used by the group in carrying out criminal operations.
The police spokesman noted that intelligence reports had earlier indicated that some gang members who escaped previous security crackdowns were attempting to regroup at the camp before the latest operation disrupted their activities.
He added that preliminary investigations revealed the suspect in custody confessed to involvement in several violent attacks across Anambra State, including attacks on police stations, killings of security personnel, assaults on government facilities, and attacks on officers conducting stop-and-search duties on major roads.
Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, commended the operatives for the successful operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive offensives against criminal groups threatening public safety in the state.
The command said investigations are ongoing while efforts are being intensified to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
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