..recover one pump action gun, one AK-47, 9 round of 762x39mm Ak-47 live ammunition
Ebonyi State Police Command said it has arrested a native doctor and about 10 other members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the State.
The Commissioner of Police, Augustina Ogbodo stated this in Abakaliki, while parading suspects recently arrested by the Command for various criminal acts.
The CP attributed the breakthroughs and successes recorded by the Command recently to intelligence-driven and community-based Policing.
She said the suspected IPOB/ESN members were intercepted while trying to enforce the unlawful sit-at-home order in Ohaozara Local Government Area in the State.
She said: “The tactical teams immediately on receipt of the distress call, swung into action. The hoodlums were trailed to Akaeze/ Uburu where there was a gun duel between them.
“The suspected IPOB/ESN members numbering about ten were subdued by the superior firepower of the Police which led to some of them sustaining bullet wounds while trying to run into the bush for cover”
CP Ogbodo said that upon interrogation the suspects disclosed the identity and location of their native doctor.
“The tactical operatives of the command stormed the native doctor’s house at Amanator Isu Onicha L.G.A of Ebonyi State and arrested five other persons trying to fortify themselves.”
She gave the names of the persons arrested as Emmanuel Edwin, Innocent Odii, Sunday Nwenne, Chika Ogad, Sunday Chukwu and Okonkwo Victor
Exhibits recovered from them include one pump action gun, one AK-47 with breach no 400557, 9 rounds of 762x39mm Ak-47 live ammunition, 1 Toyota Highlander jeep, 1 fireman Sumac generator, 1 motorcycle and assorted criminal charms.
The CP also revealed that one Odom Maxwell was arrested and charged to court for high-profile advanced fee fraud.
According to her, he was arrested after three persons wrote separate petitions accusing him of defrauding them of over N34.75m.
He said the accused allegedly defrauded one Ogochukwu of N26.25m, and one Nwibo Nathaniel Nnabuike of N3. 30m and a Lawyer, Friday Agbom of N5.20m.
“The said Odom Maxwell was successfully arrested in Asaba Delta State and has been charged to court”, she said
Also paraded were the trio of Monday Nweke, Itumo Samuel and Nwigwe Jeremiah for alleged arson.
CP Ogbodo explained that they allegedly set ablaze the house of one Mrs Monica Nweke.
She said: “On the 30th of April 2023 about 0100hrs, one Monica Nweke Oshiebe of Ndiegu Ogboji in Ezza North LGA of Ebonyi state was sleeping in her house when some hoodlums numbering about twenty all male invaded her compound shooting into the air.
“Upon hearing the gunshots, her daughter Victoria Nweke woke her up and they escaped through the back door to a nearby bush where they watched as the hoodlums set their house on fire and waited till the house was completely raised down.
“Three suspects namely:
Itumo Samuel aka Almaco, Monday Nweke, Nwigwe Jeremiah Adindu all from the same Ndegu Ogboji community have been arrested and confessed to the crime while the investigation is still ongoing to arrest the other suspects.
The CP also said the command arrested and charged to court the duo of Chidiebere Nwigwe and Ikembuchukwu Donatus for allegedly defrauding job applicants of over N11.3m.
“The Suspects pulled a photograph of the Medical Director of National Obstetric Fistula centre Abakaliki from the Centre’s website with which they created a fake Facebook account where they advertised non-existing job opportunities.
“Applicants were mandated to contact designated numbers via WhatsApp from where they were further directed to pay specific sums according to the position applied for, cumulatively, they collected about Eleven million three hundred thousand Naira(N11,300,000) from the various victims”, she said.