By Emmanuel Adeleke
The Imo state Police command has said its operatives killed four hoodlums suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) in the early hours of Sunday.
The command’s spokesperson, Micheal Abattam, who disclosed this in a statement issued in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Sunday, said the hoodlums engaged the officers in a gun battle in their quest to to attack the Omuma Police Station, in Oru East Local Government Area of the state.
Abattam said that five undetonated improvised explosive devices were recovered from the hoodlums, which he said were in the custody of the police bomb unit for detonation.
The police spokesperson added that officers were combing the forests in search of other fleeing hoodlums who sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries during the exchange of gunfire.
Narrating the gun battle with the hoodlums, Abattam said: “Sequel to the modified and invigorated strategies emplaced by the command under the watch of the indefatigable Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Rabiu Hussaini, psc, to forestall all criminals activities within the state especially, attacks on a police station.
“On the 20th March 2022 at about 0300 hours, Hoodlums suspected to members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra/ Eastern Security Network terrorist group came in large numbers with various calibres of Improvised Explosive Devices ( IED) to Omuma police station shooting sporadically but, were swiftly repelled by the ever gallant and combat-ready Imo Police Command’s tactical teams and operatives of the DSS who responded immediately, positioning themselves professionally and strategically.
“The Police Operatives engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel and in the process four of the bandits were neutralised on the spot while other scampered into the bush having suffered a huge defeat, with a number of them sustaining various degrees of bullet wounds. While there was no casualty on the side of the joint security operatives.
“On the spot, five undetonated different capacities of Improvised Explosives Devices were recovered from the bandits and charm. The Police Bomb Unit have taken custody of the Bombs for detonation.
“Meanwhile, Command’s Tactical Teams are conducting a vigorous and aggressive combing of the bush to arrest the fleeing hoodlums and to recover their arms/ammunition since they cannot go far because of the huge damage done to them.”
