By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Four suspected members of an armed criminal gang have been reportedly gunned down during a gun battle with a Police-led Joint Security Patrol Team along the Ogboji–Ajalli Road in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, while a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), AK-47 rifles, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), laptops, mobile phones and several other items were recovered by the security operatives.
The Anambra State Police Command disclosed the development in a press statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who described the operation as a major breakthrough in the ongoing offensive against violent criminal groups operating in parts of the state.
According to the police spokesman, the operation took place on the evening of Tuesday during a visibility and confidence-building patrol by the joint security team in Aguata Sector, following credible intelligence on the movement of heavily armed members of a suspected secessionist armed gang operating in a Toyota Sienna vehicle along the Ogboji-Ajalli axis.
SP Ikenga said the operatives came under attack, resulting in a fierce exchange of gunfire during which four of the suspects were neutralised.
He disclosed that a large cache of arms, ammunition and other exhibits was recovered from the scene, including one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) loaded with 53 rounds of linked live ammunition, two AK-47 rifles, two magazines, 29 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 13 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition and four undetonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Other items recovered, according to the statement, include police camouflage uniforms and accessories, a white Toyota Sienna bus with Lagos registration number KJA 919 KH, ten Android phones, two feature phones, one laptop computer, one Point-of-Sale (POS) machine, two power banks, assorted charms, two live cartridges, ATM cards, a National Identification Card and a driver’s licence belonging to identified individuals.
The Police Public Relations Officer said preliminary investigations indicated that some members of the gang escaped into nearby bushes with varying degrees of gunshot injuries during the encounter.
He added that joint security operatives had since intensified combing operations across the area to track down the fleeing suspects and recover additional weapons and operational materials believed to have been abandoned during the gun duel.
Reaffirming the Command’s resolve, SP Ikenga said the Anambra State Police Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, would continue to sustain intelligence-driven and proactive operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks and protecting lives and property across the state.
In a follow-up information on the breakthrough, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said investigators had identified and established contact with the owner of the white Toyota Sienna recovered during the operation, revealing that the vehicle had earlier been stolen by the suspected armed gang before it was used for their activities.
According to the police spokesman, the owner of the vehicle has since been debriefed by investigators and has provided useful information on how the vehicle was stolen, as well as other details on the operations and movement of the criminal gang.
SP Ikenga explained that the information obtained from the victim is already assisting the Command in reviewing and strengthening its operational strategies, deployment of personnel and security architecture within the Ogboji-Ajalli axis and neighbouring communities to forestall further attacks by criminal elements.
The Police Public Relations Officer also commended the courage, resilience and professionalism displayed by the Police-led Joint Security Patrol Team during the operation, stressing that the success recorded underscored the benefits of intelligence sharing and collaboration among security agencies.
He emphasized that no single security agency should claim sole responsibility for the improved security situation being witnessed in Anambra State, noting that the achievements recorded so far were products of effective inter-agency cooperation, coordinated intelligence gathering and the continued support of Ndi Anambra.
The PPRO further assured residents that security operatives had sustained intelligence-driven operations aimed at tracking down other members of the gang who escaped with gunshot wounds during the exchange of fire, as well as their collaborators.
He also appealed to members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies to strengthen ongoing efforts to rid the state of criminal elements and sustain the prevailing peace and security.
