The Imo State Police Command has arrested 25 suspects in connection with various criminal activities, including the killing of traditional rulers in the state.
The command said the arrests followed coordinated intelligence-led operations that also led to the recovery of firearms, ammunition, vehicles and illicit drugs.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said the suspects were arrested for offences ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and drug trafficking to child trafficking.
According to him, some of the suspects are linked to the 2021 murder of the traditional ruler of Ihebinowere Autonomous Community in Njaba Local Government Area, HRH Eze Sampson Osunwa.
Items recovered during the operations include four assault rifles, 25 cartridges, two vehicles, three motorcycles and 35 bags of weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa. Other exhibits include suspected stolen aluminium roofing sheets and additional incriminating materials.
Okoye disclosed that some of the suspects belong to criminal gangs that have been terrorising Njaba LGA. Those named include Eririogu Chukwuebuka, 28, from Egwuede Atta in Njaba LGA; Ezemonye Orji, 32, from Edda in Afikpo, Ebonyi State; and Kelechi Michael, 28, from Ubowuala, Emekuku in Owerri North LGA, alongside three others.
The police alleged that the suspects were involved in the 2021 killings of HRH Eze Durueburuo of Okwudo Autonomous Community and HRH Eze Sampson Osunwa of Ihebinowere Autonomous Community, both in Njaba LGA, as well as several cases of kidnapping and armed robbery.
Recovered from the suspects were one AK-47 rifle, three magazines, 30 rounds of live ammunition, one pump-action gun, seven cartridges and criminal charms.
In a separate operation, Okoye said police operatives intercepted an ash-coloured Ford J5 bus at Nkweshi in Oguta Local Government Area, leading to the arrest of two suspected drug peddlers allegedly transporting illicit substances to criminal networks in the Eziorsu area.
He further disclosed that operatives also arrested a wanted gang leader, Ezeh Chinonso Ugochukwu, 31, at the boundary between Nnebukwu and Orsu Obodo in Oguta LGA. His arrest reportedly led to the dismantling of a camp suspected to belong to the Eastern Security Network (ESN) at Orsu Obodo, where one AK-47 rifle, one LAR rifle, one pump-action gun and 22 rounds of live ammunition were recovered.
The suspect allegedly confessed to several crimes carried out by his syndicate, including the killing of unsuspecting victims.
“All suspects and exhibits are currently in custody for thorough investigation and will be charged to court accordingly in line with the rule of law,” the statement added.
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