The Enugu State Police Command said, on Friday, that it had killed three operatives of the Eastern Security Network of the Indigenous People of Biafra in the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state and recovered their weapons.

The command’s spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Enugu on Friday.

Ndukwe said that the hoodlums were killed when a combined team of police Special Forces and operatives serving in the Igbo-Eze North Police Division raided their camp at Imufu area of the council on Thursday.

According to Ndukwe, when the operatives engaged in a gun duel with the subversive criminal elements, “three of the hoodlums were neutralised in the ensuing gunfight,” adding that many others escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.

“Four pump action guns, one locally fabricated revolver gun, and pistol, 67 live cartridges, military camouflage uniforms, fabrics of IPOB insignia, objects suspected to be amulets and other incriminating exhibits were recovered,” the statement noted.

Meanwhile, Ndukwe said that a preliminary investigation had revealed that “the criminal elements were responsible for the shooting and killing of two Neighbourhood Watch Group security personnel on 21/07/2023 at about 1 a.m, at Umuagama in Enugu-Ezike community of Igbo-Eze North LGA and had made several attempts to enforce the illegal sit-at-home order in some parts of the council.”

He said that the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, had reaffirmed the command’s unwavering commitment to weed out unrepentant criminals in the state while commending the operatives for successfully executing the operation.

Ndukwe noted that the commissioner tasked officers of the command to remain firm, resilient, and maintain the tempo while soliciting the continued support of citizens of the state to weed out criminal elements in society.

He said, “We are urging residents of Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area and owners of medical facilities in particular, to promptly report individuals sighted with gunshot wounds to the nearest police station. Or by calling the Command’s emergency hotlines on 08032003702, 08075380883, 08086671202, or 08098880172, or send emails to infoenugupolice@gmail.com.” (The PUNCH)