By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command have again recorded another major breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown on violent criminal gangs in the state, following the recovery of sophisticated firearms, explosive devices, and large cache of ammunition from a suspected criminal hideout in a forest in Owerre-Ezukala, Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the recovery, which was made during a coordinated clearance operation led by the Inspector-General of Police’s Violent Crime Response Unit under the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, followed actionable intelligence obtained from a suspected top commander of a violent criminal group currently in police custody.
In the statement, the suspect, identified as Nnamdi Nkemdilim Ogbonna, aged 37, was alleged to have provided useful information that led the operatives, led by CSP Orebe Chidubem Mathew, to the criminal camp located within the community.
The Police Spokesperson, SP Ikenga, said the operation led to the recovery of a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) loaded with about 2,000 rounds of live chain ammunition, two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers, ten locally-made Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one locally-made Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, three hand grenades, ten rounds of K2 live ammunition, one gas cylinder, and a black Ecolac box, among other dangerous items.
According to him, the criminal camp had earlier been dislodged and destroyed by a Joint Security Team during previous operations in the area. He said, however, intelligence reports later revealed that some fleeing members of the gang were making efforts to regroup within the forest, which reportedly prompted the fresh offensive operation by the police-led unit.
The Police operatives noted that they encountered fierce resistance from some armed hoodlums during the operation, resulting in a gun duel, after which the suspects reportedly fled the scene with varying degrees of bullet injuries.
The police further revealed that the suspect currently in custody had allegedly confessed to involvement in several deadly attacks across Anambra State, including attacks on police stations and other security formations, the killing of security personnel comprising police officers, soldiers, and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, as well as attacks on government facilities and security operatives mounted on stop-and-search duties on different roads within the state.
Describing the recovery as a significant operational success, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to sustain aggressive offensives against criminal elements threatening the peace and security of the state.
The Police Boss, according to the statement, noted that the establishment of the IGP’s Violent Crime Response Unit had further strengthened the Command’s operational capacity and boosted the morale of officers engaged in the fight against violent crimes and insecurity across Anambra.
The Command also assured residents that ongoing operations and intelligence-driven raids would continue until criminal camps and armed gangs operating within the state are completely dismantled.
