Imo state police command has arrested 16 suspected members of Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), for allegedly terrorising Oguta, Njaba, and Mbaitoli LGAs.
Gatekeepers News reports that at a press briefing on Friday, Aboki Danjuma, Imo commissioner of police, said security operatives stormed an ESN camp in Oguta on Tuesday.
According to Danjuma, the suspects opened fire on the security team, sparking a fierce gun battle. He said, “On sighting the operatives, the hoodlums engaged them in a fierce gun battle but were overpowered by superior firepower.”
He confirmed that 16 suspects were arrested during the raid, including ESN sub-commanders identified as Uzoechi Okechukwu and Paschal Igbuogwu.
The police said items recovered from the camp included two AK-47 rifles, two pump-action guns, 375 rounds of ammunition, IPOB/ESN flags, and charms.
Danjuma also disclosed that on September 9, police arrested Onye Chukwuebuka Erliriogu, a notorious kingpin, at Ogbaku in Mbaitoli LGA. The suspect allegedly confessed to carrying out several violent attacks alongside his gang.
The commissioner further said the command arrested 789 suspected criminals for kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism in the past two months, adding that nine kidnap victims and seven children were rescued within the period.
