From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Imo State Police Command said its tactical team yesterday engaged the militia arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in a bloody shootout that led to many of them sustaining serious injuries at the Ubah Agwa/Izombe in Oguta council area of the state.
Spokesperson of the police, Henry Okoye, who made the disclosure in a statement, said the group was planning to launch an attack from their hideout in the forest, when the police operatives swooped on them. Although no life was lost, he emphasised that the ESN group were badly wounded.
He said: “Acting on diligently gathered actionable intelligence that members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militia affiliate (ESN), whose modus operandi is gorilla-like operation, unleash surprise terror attack and go into hiding in their criminal hideout, have, once again, reassembled and formed a camp at Ubah Agwa/Izombe tropical rain Forest in Oguta LGA of Imo State.
“Strategising how to perpetrate another dreadful crime, operatives of the command’s tactical teams swiftly swung into action, tactically maneuvered their way into the identified criminal hideout and raided it. On sighting the police operatives, they engaged them in a fierce gun duel, but were overpowered by the superior fire power of the operatives who professionally took vantage position and returned fire, forcing them to flee with varying degrees of gunshot injuries,” Okoye said.
However, on searching their hideout, which he also noted served as their shrine, three Automatic Pump Action guns, 31 rounds of live cartridges, 59 rounds of AK 47 ammunition, one police hand grenade, IPOB/ESN insignia, blue and black colour police uniforms.
P-Cap, police belt, military camouflage uniforms and one black colour tiger 150 motorcycle were recovered.
Other items recovered were one red Daylong motorcycle, one black KYMCO motorcycle, one silver coloured Honda lady’s motorcycle, one black travelling bag ‘Akubuokwu’ and phone, suspected to belong to a kidnap or armed robbery victim.