Operatives of the Ebonyi State Police Command have killed two suspected hoodlums and the arrest of three others during raids on criminal hideouts in the Iyonu and Isu communities of the state.
It was gathered that the suspects had been terrorising the two communities and neighbouring villages before their arrest and kiling.
Ebonyi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, who confirmed the development through a statement issued on Saturday, said the hoodlums were killed during a raid in a forest in the Iyonu area.
Ukandu also disclosed that the operation also led to the arrest of three other suspects and the recovery of several incriminating items.
“In continuation of its sustained onslaught against criminal elements in the state, operatives of the Ebonyi State Command have neutralised two suspected hoodlums during a raid on their hideout in Iyonu community, Ishielu LGA.
“The operation, which was carried out within the Iyonu/Idodo Forest, followed credible intelligence on the activities of the gang terrorising the area. On sighting the operatives, the hoodlums opened fire, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire. At the end of the encounter, two of the suspects were neutralised.
“The following exhibits were recovered from the scene: one AK-47 rifle, two locally fabricated Dane guns, twenty (20) rounds of 9MM ammunition, and five (5) live cartridges, ” the state police image- maker said in the statement.
The police spokesperson also disclosed that three other suspects were arrested in a separate operation by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, which foiled a kidnap attempt on the mother of a prominent individual in Isata community, Onicha LGA.
“Similarly, acting on cultivated intelligence, operatives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command foiled a kidnap attempt on the mother of a prominent individual in Isata community, Isu, Onicha LGA. The suspects — Monday Okorie (m), Ngwuta Friday (m), and Simon Joshua (m) — were arrested, while one member of the gang remains at large.
“One locally made single-barrel gun was recovered from the suspects. They will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation,” the statement added.
The state police publicist added in the statement that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Adaku Uche-Anya, assured residents that the command would not relent in its fight against criminal elements in the state.
Uche-Anya also urged residents to continue providing credible and timely information to assist the command in its proactive crime-prevention efforts.
