Soldiers, Police kill 5 suspected militants in Imo

A Joint Task Force (JTF) of the police and soldiers, which invaded Asa and Awara communities in Ohaji/Egbe­ma Local Government Area of Imo State, has shot dead five suspected militants.

The victims were fin­gered in the bombing of oil installations in the area.

The AUTHORITY learnt that the JTF moved into the communities on Saturday and engaged the militants they found in their hideouts in a gun duel where the secu­rity agents killed the victims.

 

Sources said that the victims were killed on Sun­day while several others al­legedly escaped with bullet wounds.

Asa and Awara com­munities have been un­der siege by militants who initially operated as cult members before they formed a militant group, claiming responsibility for the destruction of oil pipe­lines in the state.

 

When contacted, the Po­lice Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem declined comments on the incident. He, however, confirmed the presence of police in the trou­bled communities.

The new militant group known as the Red Scorpi­ons, in the past few weeks has claimed responsibility for the bombing of Agip and Shell oil installations in Imo.

Similarly, the Niger Delta Searchlight (NDS), one of the new militant groups operat­ing in the Niger Delta region, claimed responsibility for last week’s bombing of oil facilities.

They warned companies still operating in the area to relocate in their own interest, urging oil companies to ignore the ceasefire announced by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

The leader of the armed group, General Igbede O. Ig­bede, described the ongoing peace talks between the Feder­al Government and some mil­itant groups as a ruse because it does not reflect the collec­tive interest of the “deprived” Niger Delta people.

Meanwhile, the Abia State Police Command has paraded 16 suspected kidnappers and robbers allegedly terrorising residents of the state.

The Commissioner of Po­lice, Mr. Leye Oyebade, who paraded the suspects at the Po­lice Headquarters in Umuahia, gave quit notice to all criminal elements in the state.

Among those paraded were Chibuike Nwaobilo, 24, a native of Osisioma and his ac­complice, Chikadibia Omeni­hu, 26, from Ugwunagbo Lo­cal Government Area of the state.

They allegedly kidnapped two siblings (names withheld) on Friday last week while they were returning from a phar­maceutical shop where they had gone to buy drugs.

The victims were later kept in a compound in their hide­out at Uratta area of Aba while a ransom of N2 million was placed on them.

But the police said that when they were contact­ed, some officers trailed and stormed the kidnappers’ den on Sunday morning, rescuing the victims unhurt and arrest­ing two of the suspects while others escaped.

The CP had said that the names of the officers who res­cued the kidnap victims and arrested the suspects would be forwarded to the Inspec­tor-General of Police for ade­quate appreciation.

In an interview with The AUTHORITY, one of the vic­tims disclosed that his broth­er, a Port Harcourt-based busi­nessman, was involved in a motor accident and had re­turned to Aba for treatment.

According to him, both of them were driving back to his house along Uzoiyi area of Uratta, Aba around 9:00pm on Friday when the suspects ac­costed, blindfolded, and ab­ducted them before taking them to their hideout.

“They asked me to call my relation and I called my pas­tor; they asked him to bring N2 million but he pleaded with them to collect N500,000. They rejected it and threat­ened to kill us but on Sunday morning policemen stormed the premises and rescued us,” he said.

One of the suspects, Nwa­obilo, who said he was a me­chanic apprentice at Ugwun­agbo, confessed to the crime but added that he was only contacted by his friend (the prime suspect now at large) to keep watch over the victims.

He pleaded for forgiveness, saying it was only the third time he was involved in kid­napping for ransom.

But his accomplice, Omenihu denied any involve­ment in the crime, saying he was arrested because the sus­pect on the run was his soccer teammate in 2013.

The police also parad­ed one Idorenyin Okon from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State for al­legedly buying a stolen Toyo­ta Highlander Sport Utility Ve­hicle (SUV) marked ABC 384 SS which the police said was snatched from the owner at gunpoint at Gwarinpa, Abuja.

He was arrested at a securi­ty checkpoint at Umudike axis of the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Highway by policemen follow­ing a signal from Abuja while he was driving to Uyo.

The suspect, who said he was a farmer, explained that he bought the car for N1.5 mil­lion at a hotel in Abuja and never knew it was stolen.

He said he had want­ed to buy another car in Uyo but could not due to the high cost, and the dealer promised to link him with another deal­er who could sell to him at a cheaper rate.

“The dealer connected me with his friend in Abuja and I went to meet him in Abuja the next day. I was in my hotel room when he brought the car to me and I paid but on getting to Umuahia I was arrested”, he said, adding that he did not know it was a stolen vehicle.

The police also paraded suspected thieves, including one Onuoha Agbai who was arrested with his colleagues at a criminal hideout in Obingwa with guns, cash of N200,000 and substances suspected to be Indian hemp recovered from them.

According to the police, the suspects were planning to attack residents of the area be­fore their hideout was raided following a tipoff, but one of the suspects, Agbai denied any culpability, saying he was pass­ing through Ohanku Road when he was picked up by po­lice and branded a criminal.

The 20-year old Apenu Item-born scarab dealer/scav­enger said he was on his way to buy some spare parts to re­pair his bicycle when he was arrested.

Similarly, another sus­pect, Sunday Agwu, who said he was a mason but currently making a living through good­will from road users, said he was arrested by the police on his way to buy sacs for sand bags which he used to fill failed portions of the road.

Another suspect, Chibu­zor Ogwo, who said he was a street hawker in Aba, said he was arrested by the police around 10am along Ohanku Road on his way to buy food.