The police in Imo State have arrested three suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) at a hideout in Okigwe Local Government Area of the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, who disclosed this in Owerri on Friday, said the arrest was sequel to “sustained operational momentum against criminal elements threatening public safety in the state.”
“On 17 April 2025, at about 0120hrs, operatives of the command’s Tactical Teams, in synergy with local vigilante groups, acted on credible intelligence and stormed a suspected IPOB/ESN hideout on Cameron Street, Ubahu, in Okigwe Local Government Area.
“On sighting the operatives, the suspects opened fire, resulting in a gun battle during which three suspects were arrested,” he said.
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Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspects were between the ages of 21 and 37. He said two others escaped into the surrounding bushes.
The spokesperson said one AK-47 rifle, two pump-action guns, 18 live cartridges, mobile devices, laptops, and N10.3 million cash were recovered from the scene.
“Investigations revealed that the money was contributed by IPOB members to finance terrorism,” he said.
Mr Okoye assured Imo residents of robust security across the state during the Easter celebrations, adding that the command, in collaboration with sister agencies, is carrying out patrols and surveillance to ensure safe and peaceful celebrations.
He urged residents to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity to the nearest police station.
The Nigerian government has accused IPOB, a separatist group campaigning for the creation of a sovereign state of Biafra in the South-east of Nigeria, of being responsible for the killings and insecurity in the South-east, but the group has repeatedly denied the accusation.
Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader, is facing a terrorism trial. He is detained in the facility of Nigeria’s secret police in Abuja. Simon Ekpa, the leader of a faction in IPOB, was arrested in Finland last year on suspicion of terrorism activities.
Support for local anti-IPOB groups
The killings in the South-east seemed to have reduced since Mr Ekpa’s arrest.
Punch newspaper reported last February that entrepreneurs in the South-east have been collaborating to raise money to fund local anti-IPOB groups and provide support for security agencies in the region.
“The businessmen, who are among the wealthy people in the area, have continued to fund the Nsu Security Vigilance Group. They have also purchased patrol vehicles for the local security outfit. This is all targeted at countering moves by criminals.
“Some of the vigilance groups here in Ehime Mbano and other parts of Imo State escort these rich men to burials and other ceremonies just to protect them. The vigilantes are paid salaries every month. Millions of naira have been spent on vigilantes by these wealthy men since the rise of insecurity in the state and the South-east in general,” the paper quoted a community leader, Kelechi Anowi, in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.
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