Anambra Police Arrest Alleged Secessionist Commander, Recover Arms, Ammunition

Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command attached to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Violent Crime Response Unit under the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, have arrested Nnamdi Nkemdilim Ogbonna, alleged to be one of the top commanders of a proscribed secessionist group.

The operatives, led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Orebe Chidubem Mathew, acted on information obtained from a suspect already in custody.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the police said they recovered sophisticated arms, ammunition, and explosive devices from a criminal camp located at Owerre-Ezukala in Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.

According to the statement, the recovered items include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with about 2,000 rounds of live chain ammunition; two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers; 10 locally made Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs); one locally made Beretta pistol; two pump-action guns; three hand grenades; 10 rounds of K2 live ammunition; one gas cylinder; and one black Ecolac box.

Ikenga recalled that the camp had earlier been destroyed by a Joint Security Team.

He explained that, prior to the suspect’s confession, intelligence gathered over time indicated that some escaped gang members were attempting to regroup. However, their efforts were resisted by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, who engaged the unrepentant gang members in a gun duel, leading to the destruction of the camp.

He added that some of the armed suspects fled the scene with varying degrees of bullet injuries.

According to Ikenga, further investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly confessed to involvement in several violent attacks across Anambra State, including attacks on police facilities, the killing of security personnel comprising police officers, military personnel, and Civil Defence officers, attacks on government facilities, as well as the murder of security operatives conducting stop-and-search duties on various roads within the state.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, fwc, mnips, PhD, stated that with the establishment of the Violent Crime Response Unit, operatives of the command are now more motivated and better positioned to sustain offensive operations against criminal elements threatening the peace and security of the state.