Operatives attached to the Imo State Police Command have neutralised nine terrorists associated with the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a statement issued Saturday said on January 24, 2025, operatives from the Command’s tactical Unit following credible intelligence launched a coordinated operation aimed at locating and dislodging the terrorist hideouts.
He revealed that the police operatives located the terrorists’ hideout in a forest within Ihube, Okigwe LGA.
Adejobi said: “Upon approach, the operatives came under heavy fire from suspected IPOB/ESN terrorists but demonstrated exceptional courage and engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle.
“The operation resulted in the neutralisation of six members of the terrorist group, with three being ESN kingpins.
They are: Ifeanyi Anayo a.k.a. Zuma De Rock (28), Chukwuemeka Odionyenfe a.k.a. Nmimi (22), and Kingsley Sunday (21)—all natives of Ogube, Ihube in Okigwe Local Government Area.
Adejobi added that operatives recovered five AK-47 rifles, 552 rounds of live ammunition, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), several communication equipment, along with eight operational motorcycles used by the group.
He noted: “Prior investigations had revealed the involvement of the group in several high-profile crimes, including the attack on the Owerri Correctional Center on April 5, 2021, the killing of five policemen in Umunna, Okigwe, on December 12, 2022, and the burning of Arondizuogu Police Station on February 8, 2022.
“The group was also involved in multiple kidnappings, including those of WAEC staff on June 5, 2023, four reverend sisters on August 21, 2022, and four Chinese nationals on December 6, 2023.”