Police in Ebonyi State have arrested one Nnamdi Ngwuta Obaji, a suspected commander of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra/ Eastern Security Network(IPOB/ESN).
Police spokesman Chris Anyanwu, in a statement, said Obaji, also known as State Commander No. 3, was arrested alongside another operative of the group, Felix Ogudu.
Anyanwu said the two men gave useful information which led to the raid and destruction of three large camps of the group in the state.
He said the police, armed with credible intelligence, stormed the camps, including a new one under construction, located in a thick forest close to Opeke River, in Omege village of Ishielu Local Government Area.
He said the operation was led by the command’s tactical teams assisted by the military and Department of State Services (DSS) in the State.
According to him, the group is suspected to be responsible for the recent attack on the Provost of the College of Education, Isu, last week.
He said: “While accessing/cordoning the camps, the combined teams were ambushed by the criminal elements with rains of sporadic shooting in their direction.
“Without hesitation, the allied team swiftly responded and engaged them in same manner and of course their superior firepower subdued the miscreants, who chanted morale-boosting war songs, dived into the Opeke River and swam in different directions as they scampered for safety.
“However, a good number of them were neutralized while many escaped,” he said.
Anyanwu said after dislodging the criminal elements and taking over the ground, the camp was destroyed.
“A wooden bridge under construction intended to aid the miscreants in their coming and going, was equally dismantled,” he said
The police spokesman said the team also raided the Anike Isu Onicha LGA abode and shrine of the State Commander of the organisation popularly called Ambassador.
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“The shrine had a live tortoise. One of the leaders of the organisation popularly known as SARS Commander with dreadlocks, said to be an indigene of Cross River State, is on the run and is declared wanted.
“The gang is also highly suspected to have partaken in the attack of the Provost of Federal College of Education, Isu Onicha a few days ago, judging from the proximity of their camp to the scene of the incident and many other similar ones in the state,” he said.
Some items recovered from the camps include: 11 bulletproof jackets, eight sets of military camouflage uniforms, two camp gas cookers, 110 rounds of FNC live ammunition, 40 rounds of GPMG live ammunition, 2 PRO electronics scanners (EOD equipment), and five empty canons.
Others include: 5 single-barrel guns, 9 assorted GSM handsets, 3 locally-fabricated revolver pistols, 1 white Toyota Hilux vehicle, bunch of keys,
3 NIN slips bearing different names,
1 exercise book with coded names/GSM numbers of the suspects and one voter’s card.
Also recovered were 3 hammers, 2 Assault rifle butts, 25 camping mosquito nets, fetish substances suspected to be charms.