Police in Enugu on Wednesday say they have killed two members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) during raid of their camp in a forest in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area.
The operation, the State Police Public Relations Officer DSP Daniel Ndukwe, said, was carried out by operatives of the Command serving in Igbo-Etiti Division, in collaboration with the Neighborhood Watch Group.
According to Ndukwe, the incident happened on Wednesday about 2 a.m, following an intelligence report about their activities.
The PPRO claimed that victims opened fire on the operatives upon sighting them. “However, the operatives returned fire at a superior level, forcing the criminals to escape with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.
“Thereafter, two of the fleeing suspects’ lifeless bodies were discovered in the forest, along with one AK-47 rifle, four magazines loaded with a total of seventy-five (75) live 7.62 mm calibre ammunition, and one Beretta pistol loaded with eight (8) live .9 mm calibre ammunition.”
Other items recovered according to the statement are “one (1) KC Sanya and Honda Today ladies motorcycles, one (1) GTB ATM card, a cash sum of two thousand, six hundred Naira (N2,600.00), and several raw food items. The manhunt for others on the run is ongoing.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that the group is responsible for numerous heinous crimes in the Nsukka area of Enugu State, including the recent attack and murder of police and other security personnel.”
Meanwhile, he said Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, had commended the team for the operational success, while calling on owners of medical outfits to quickly report individuals sighted with gunshot wounds to the police.
He further directs Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), and Heads of Tactical Squads to remain steadfast and ensure that they further identify hideouts and hunt down diehard criminal elements in their respective operational jurisdictions.
