Police Raid IPOB/ESN Hideout, Neutralize Kingpins

Operatives of the tactical Unit of the Nigeria Police neutralized 6 suspected IPOB/ESN terrorists with 3 being ESN kingpins identified as 28-year-old Ifeanyi Anayo a.k.a. Zuma De Rock, 22-year-old Chukwuemeka Odionyenfe a.k.a. Nmimi, and 21-year-old Kingsley Sunday, who are natives of Ogube, Ihube in Okigwe Local Government Area, Imo State on the 24th of January 2025.

According to a statement by the Spokesperson ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Saturday, the operatives who were acting on credible intelligence located the terrorists’ hideout in a forest within Ihube, Okigwe LGA.

Meanwhile, five AK-47 rifles, 552 rounds of live ammunition, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), several communication equipment, and 8 operational motorcycles used by the group were recovered.

Prior investigations had revealed the involvement of the group in several high-profile crimes, including the attack on the Owerri Correctional Center on April 5, 2021, the killing of five policemen in Umunna, Okigwe, on December 12, 2022, and the burning of Arondizuogu Police Station on February 8, 2022.

The group was also involved in multiple kidnappings, including those of WAEC staff on June 5, 2023, four reverend sisters on August 21, 2022, and four Chinese nationals on December 6, 2023.