Police Crack Down on IPOB/ESN, Kidnapping Gangs, Arrest Over 2,700 Suspects

The Imo State Police Command has arrested 2,785 suspects over the last six months in connection with serious offences including kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery, murder, cultism, and child trafficking.

According to a statement released by the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Okoye Henry on Saturday, and signed on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, the operations have also led to the rescue of 58 kidnapped victims and 42 trafficked children, many of whom have been reunited with their families.

The police credited the success to intensified intelligence-led operations across the state, especially by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit in collaboration with other tactical teams and formations.

Among the most significant breakthroughs was the dismantling of an IPOB/ESN camp in Njaba LGA, where key members of the proscribed separatist group were apprehended.

Notorious suspects, including Amechi Onyebuchi, Ozioma Ihedoro, Cyprian Ikpegbunam, and Uchenna Opara, were arrested in connection with attacks on security formations and the murder of Emmanuel Oguzie, allegedly on the orders of a wanted ESN commander known as Asari.

Recovered from the camp were a cache of weapons and explosives, including: 2 GPMGs, 14 AK-47 rifles, 20 pump-action guns, 4 fabricated rocket launchers, 7 gas-cylinder explosives, locally made grenades, Assorted ammunition, Biafran flags, and criminal charms.

Similarly, two suspected kidnappers, 24-year-old Uche Nwachukwu and 32-year-old Chinonso Ozirim, were arrested for abducting Anayo Iwuoha from his compound in Akabo on June 20.

The suspects reportedly collected a ₦2.2 million ransom before a coordinated rescue mission led to Iwuoha’s safe recovery and the duo’s arrest. A manhunt for their fleeing accomplices is underway.

Additionally, 36-year-old Wisdom Chinazaekpere Ogbonna, a long-wanted member of the Vikings Confraternity, was apprehended in Orlu. Initially arrested for burglary, he was later linked to the 2023 brutal murder of a young man known as Pikin, who was mistakenly targeted as a rival cultist.

All suspects, the Command confirmed, will be charged in court upon completion of investigations.

The Imo Police Command urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity via the emergency lines 0813 478 3532 or 0815 802 4755, reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state.

“Together, we will continue to make Imo State safer and more secure for all,” the statement concluded.