Enugu State Police Command stormed the Eastern Security Network hideout and discover a corpse of its missing police officer, identified as Okpanachi Johnson buried in a shallow grave in the forest of Igbo-Eze North Local Government Council of Enugu State.
Late Police officer was serving at the Igbo-Eze Police Division until he went missing on 30th July, 2022 and since then, effort by Police authority to locate him proved abortive.
The Eastern Security Network is a militant wing of the proscribed Indigenous people of Biafra, controlled by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is being detained by the Nigerian authority.
The Command also disclosed that
during a raid on the hideout located in Agu-Ibeje forest in Enugu-Ezike, a suspected member of ESN was killed.
In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, Daniel Ndukwe on Tuesday in Enugu, the Command said, its tactical squad and operation Restore Peace carried out an intelligence-driven dusk-to-dawn raid on the hideout between August 11 and 12.
The raid, the Police said, led to several ESN operatives escaping with varying degrees of gunshot wounds, while the corpse of Okpanachi Johnson was seen.
Items recovered at the camp are one AR-K2 assault rifle, six pump action guns, one locally-made berretta-like pistol and five locally-fabricated double-barreled guns, 98 live cartridges, two machetes, one digger, one battle axe, one hacksaw, five motor vehicles, three Toyota Sienna minivans, one Honda Pilot jeep, and one Hiace (Hummer) bus, loaded with assorted Ankara fabrics.
Ndukwe added that 20 different brands of motorcycles with their number plates removed, one police bullet-proof vest, police camouflage uniform, military camouflage uniform with cap, military singlet, Biafra flag, and 22 different brands of mobile phones, were also found.
“In a related development, police operatives on August 8 at about 9:15 a.m. recovered two AK-47 rifles, all loaded with 64 rounds of 7.62mm caliber of live ammunition (currently in the custody of 82 division of the Nigerian Army),” he added.
“Other things recovered are one locally-made cut-to-size gun, one dane gun, one Lexus RX 330 and one RX 300 Jeeps, one Honda Pilot jeep, 25 machetes, two axes, one dagger, four phones, a military camouflage uniform, two forest uniform trousers and fetish items suspected to be charms.
“The recovery is sequel to the police swift response to a distress call alleging that IPOB/ESN terrorists invaded and set ablaze the house of a local vigilante at Oduma community in Aninri local government area on the date.”
Ndukwe said Abubakar Lawal, the commissioner of police, commended the officers for the successful execution of the operations.
The police spokesman added that the CP also charged the officers to remain focused on actualising the overall goal of ridding the state of unrepentant criminal elements.
He urged residents to remain law-abiding, vigilant and support the command with credible information to tackle crime.
“I enjoin individuals and owners of medical facilities to quickly report anyone sighted with gunshot injuries to the nearest police station or personnel,” he added.
