The police in Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east, say they have arrested two suspected terrorists allegedly involved in a foiled attack on Agwa Divisional Police Headquarters in August.
The police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
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Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, said a notorious terrorist kingpin, Chiemela, popularly known as “Disaster,” was killed during the foiled attack on the police facility within Oguta Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesperson said subsequent investigations have now led to the arrest of the two suspects and the dislodgement of a terrorist camp at Ubah Agwa, a community within the Oguta council area.
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He said the terrorist camp belonged to suspected members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
How the arrest, dislodgement occurred
Mr Okoye said that at about 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, police arrested 29-year-old male indigene of the Agwa Community, Okechukwu Anyim, in connection with the foiled attack and other crimes in the area.
The spokesperson explained that his arrest followed information and confessions obtained from one of the earlier arrested suspects, Happiness Uche, a 32-year-old woman who is also from the community.
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“Following the arrest, police operatives, in collaboration with the DPO of Agwa Police Division and his team, proceeded to the suspected terrorist hideout at Ubah Agwa, Oguta LGA.
“On sighting the police operatives, the hoodlums opened fire but were swiftly overpowered by the superior firepower of the police, forcing them to flee,” he narrated.
“Some of the fleeing suspects are believed to have sustained gunshot injuries.”
Mr Okoye said the suspected terrorists’ hideout – an abandoned and uncompleted bungalow – was subsequently secured.
He said an earlier search of the uncompleted bungalow at the location led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle with visible identification number and two AK-47 magazines loaded with 52 rounds of live ammunition.
Four military uniforms, five police uniforms bearing name tags, three Biafra flags, six Biafra-regalia uniforms, three ESN-marked uniforms and four ESN-marked berets were among the items recovered from the suspects, the police said.
“Other exhibits recovered include one hand grenade, various ATM cards believed to belong to different victims, various denominations of currency bearing Biafran inscriptions, foreign currencies, enlarged photographs of an unidentified person, and various objects suspected to be ritual materials,” Mr Okoye said.
“The arrested suspect will be charged to court upon the completion of a thorough investigation,” he stated, adding that the police were on the trail of the fleeing suspects.
He said the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Audu Bosso, has praised the police operatives for their courage and professionalism.
Mr Bosso urged the public to remain vigilant and provide the police with “credible information” that can aid ongoing investigation.
“Further developments will be communicated as the investigation progresses,” he assured.
READ ALSO: Oyo school kidnap survivor testifies on terrorists’ invasion as suspects’ trial begins
IPOB
IPOB is a group leading agitation for secession of the South-east and some parts of the South-south from Nigeria to form an independent state of Biafra.
The separatist group has been linked to some deadly attacks in the two regions, but it has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.
For years, police facilities and other government establishments have been attacked by gunmen said to be agitating for Biafra mainly in the South-east.
Both police, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies have conducted several operations, including shootouts with the attackers, to stop the situation in the regions.
Meanwhile, a recent PREMIUM TIMES’ special report revealed that attacks and killings have reduced by 50 per cent in the South-east since the arrest and imprisonment of a controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, in Finland in 2025.
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