Police Raid Suspected IPOB/ESN Camp, Neutralize Two, Recover AK-47 Rifle Others In Enugu

The police in Enugu State, Wednesday, said their operatives raided a suspected proscribed IPOB/ESN criminal camp in a forest in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area.

This is contained in a statement issued in Enugu by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe.

According to him, police operatives of the Enugu State Command serving in Igbo-Etiti Division, working with the Neighborhood Watch Group, on June 12, 2024, around 2 a.m., utilized an intelligence report and raided a suspected outlawed IPOB/ESN criminal camp in a forest in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area.

Ndukwe said the criminal elements opened fire on the operatives upon sighting them, adding that the operatives returned fire at a superior level, forcing the criminals to escape with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.

The police spokesman said two of the fleeing suspects’ lifeless bodies were discovered and recovered in the forest, along with one AK-47 rifle, four magazines loaded with a total of seventy-five live 7.62 mm calibre ammunition, and one Beretta pistol loaded with eight live .9 mm calibre ammunition.

“Further recovered are one KC Sanya and Honda Today ladies motorcycles, one GTB ATM card, a cash sum of two thousand, six hundred Naira (N2,600.00), and several raw food items. The manhunt for others on the run is ongoing.”he said.

Ndukwe said preliminary investigations suggested that the group was responsible for numerous heinous crimes in the Nsukka area of Enugu State, including the recent attack and murder of police and other security personnel.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, while commending the team for the operational success, has called on owners of medical outfits and the public to quickly report individuals sighted with gunshot wounds to the police.

He further directs Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), and Heads of Tactical Squads to remain steadfast and ensure that they further identify hideouts and hunt down diehard criminal elements in their respective operational jurisdictions.