By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Over the past few days, there has been a wave of arrests and significant breakthrough in Anambra State’s intensified security operations, as suspects linked to recent violent attacks, illegal arm smuggling, and other criminal activities have been arrested across different parts of the state, with various arms, live cartridges, vehicles, and other incriminating items recovered.
One of the arrests follows the diligent efforts of security operatives in the state, who are closing in on perpetrators of the April 13th attack on a joint Police and Military team at Enugwu-Agu Village in Awba-Ofemili, Awka North Local Government Area.
According to a statement released by the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, two suspects — Uche Egwu (35) and Jindo Onyeka (32) — were recently apprehended by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Awkuzu in connection to the unprovoked attack, which saw the burning of an army operational vehicle.
He said the suspects have confessed to their involvement in the incident and are currently assisting the Police with useful information regarding other fleeing members of the criminal gang.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, in his reaction, described the attack as a grave and deliberate assault aimed at testing the will of the nation’s security agencies and shaking the foundation of national unity.
While condemning the attack as an assault on the soul of a nation, CP Orutugu also lauded the professionalism of security operatives for managing the situation without any recorded loss of life, even as he urged the RRS team to widen the scope of their investigation and ensure the apprehension of every accomplice involved in the dastardly act.
In a related development, the Police Command, within the week, also announced the arrest of three additional suspects in Agukwu-Nri, Anaocha Local Government Area.
The Police Spokesman said, acting on information provided by a suspect in custody, the RRS team stormed a location in the early hours of May 30th and arrested Monday Onoja, Sanusi Muhammed, and Kenneth Nwokpu, all aged between 27 and 32 years.
According to him, the operation also led to the recovery of an automatic pump action gun, a white Mercedes Benz C300 4MATIC (Reg No: KWC 140), an ash Lexus 350 (Reg No: 669 CY), two high-end mobile phones, and other items believed to have been stolen from previous victims. He confirmed that investigations have been intensified to uncover and dismantle the remaining part of the criminal syndicate, which is suspected to be responsible for multiple robberies and coordinated attacks in the state.
Meanwhile, in another major security breakthrough, troops of Operation UDO KA Sector 5, in collaboration with the 63 Brigade and the Department of State Services (DSS), have intercepted a truck laden with over 164,000 live cartridges along the Asaba–Onitsha expressway on May 29, 2025.
According to reports, the high-stakes operation followed credible intelligence reports, which led to the arrest of suspected gunrunner Mr. Emeka Omenife, who was allegedly transporting the deadly cargo. Preliminary investigations revealed that Omenife is part of an international ammunition trafficking syndicate that moves weapons across the West African subregion, with Ghana and Nigeria as key transit points.
Following his confession during DSS interrogation, a second suspect, Mr. Uchenna Obiora, was arrested the following day at the Onitsha–Awka tollgate, where he had reportedly gone to receive the deadly consignment. Security agents disclosed that the intercepted truck had been carefully loaded and concealed to avoid detection.
These developments and sustained onslaught against crimes and criminal elements in Anambra State attest to the renewed vigor with which Anambra State security operatives, in collaboration with federal agencies, are confronting armed violence, attacks, kidnapping, arms smuggling and other activities that previously undermined public safety and fuelled insecurity in the state.
Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner, CP Orutugu, who is the Chairman of the Internal Security Committee in Anambra State, has reiterated the commitment of the Command and other security agencies to consolidating the gains achieved so far and rooting out all forms of criminality in the state.
