Police kill one enforcer of sit-at-home order in gun battle, arrest two in Ebonyi

Operatives of Ebonyi State Police Command on Tuesday killed an enforcer of the sit-at-home order and arrested two others in a gun battle with the foot soldiers of the agitators.

Officers of state command also  recovered many items following the arrest of the hoodlums.

This was contained in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the state police command, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya in Abakaliki the state capital.

She said that the police acted swiftly based on credible intelligence that hoodlums suspended to be IPOB were shooting in Okposi, Ohaozara local government area of the state to enforce sit-at-home order in the area.

The PPRO said that, “On July 10, 2023 at about 1350hrs, some armed men suspected to be IPOB/ESN members went to Okposi in Ohaozara LGA and started shooting sporadically into the air.

“On receipt of the information, the operatives of the command immediately swung into action by giving the hoodlums a hot chase.

“The hoodlums engaged the policemen in a gun duel, which resulted in one of them being neutralized while the others escaped with varying degrees of bullet wounds.

The state command said that the operation led to recovery of exhibits including one  blue Highlander jeep riddled with bullets, one pump action gun, five live cartridges, four handsets (phones), one Sumec Fireman generator, charms, assorted provisions robbed from shops, one red and one black face mask, ten expended pump action gun cartridges and nine expended shell of AK 47 rifle ammunition.

Continuing, the police spokesperson said that, on Tuesday July 11, during the continuous combing of the bushes, the other fleeing suspects were arrested with bullet wounds.

The police identified the two arrested suspects as Emmanuel Edwin and Chigozie Udeh, while other was arrested unconscious with bullet injuries but later gave up the ghost on the way to the hospital and was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.

Onovwakpoyeya concluded by saying that, “The Commissioner Of Police, Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Augustina N. Ogbodo is using this medium to warn criminals to either lay down their arms or relocate from the state as it will no longer be a safe haven for them and also urged the good people of Ebonyi state to go about their lawful activities, as maximum security measures have been put in place, including intensive motorized patrol of the entire state to halt criminal activities.”