By STANLEY NWANOSIKE

The Enugu State Police Command has detained four persons for alleged criminal offences and recovered firearms, ammunition and other exhibits in separate crackdown operations.

The command?s Spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement in Enugu on Wednesday.

Ndukwe stated that the operations were in furtherance of the ongoing strategic and proactive crackdown on unrepentant criminals.

He said that the suspects? offences included conspiracy, armed robbery, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, and cultism.

He said that police operatives recovered three firearms and a gun-like VL-Light Electronic Gas Igniter, eight live cartridges, one live 7.62mm calibre ammunition, and other incriminating exhibits.

?Acting on credible information, operatives of Crack Tactical Squad with Neighbourhood Watch Group, on June 22, 2025, around 11:30a.m., arrested Esomchi Ugwu, 26; and Kosisochukwu Ukwuani, 19, at Enugu-Ngwo, Udi Local Government Area (LGA).

?One single-barreled pistol, a cut-to-size gun and four live cartridges were recovered from them.

?The suspects confessed to being members of the Black Axe Confraternity,? the statement added.

Ndukwe also said that the operatives of Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad, on June 22, at about 3:45a.m., recovered one locally-made single-barrelled pistol, one live 7.62mm calibre ammunition, and four live cartridges.

According to him, the items were concealed in a cooking pot by one Friday Ogbodo, who fled his residence at Ndiagu-Ugwuaji, Enugu South LGA, upon sighting police operatives.

?The fleeing suspect is linked to an ongoing investigation involving conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, and cultism, following confessional statement of his accomplice, Izuchukwu Anyanwu, 26, who had earlier been arrested.?

He noted that, In another operation, police operatives attached to the command?s New Haven Division, at about 4a.m. on June 23, responded to a distress call and recovered a gun-like VL-Light Electronic Gas Igniter.

Ndukwe explained that the device was abandoned by fleeing suspects, who had used it to simulate a firearm, while perpetrating their criminal acts.

He added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the suspects. (NAN)

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