From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Imo State Police Command, on Wednesday, made another major breakthrough as it arrested more suspects involved in the killing of some police officers, at Ubah, Agwa, in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, and recovered a live python in the shrine of one of the suspects.
A statement by the State police spokesperson, Michael Abattam, revealed that the seven suspects alleged to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who were arrested at a shrine located in Ubah, have confessed to the killing of a female police officer, Felicia Nwagbara, declared missing since 2017.
Abattam said the team stormed the shrine following information gathered that the fleeing suspects had returned.
The statement further alleged that the suspects had been fortifying themselves against knives and gun attacks at the shrine and also with the help of the over 10 feet long snake.
On how they were arrested, Abattam said: “The hoodlums on sighting the police operatives, attempted to escape, only to discover that the whole escape routes had been saturated with police operatives, hence, their arrest.”
The Defence Headquarters said troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised 43 terrorists, arrested 20 and rescued 63 kidnapped victims across the North East within three weeks.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, made the disclosure yesterday while briefing newsmen on the operations of the armed forces between April 28 and May 19, in Abuja.
Onyeuko also said that 1,627 Boko Haram terrorists and their families, comprising 331 Men, 441 women and 855 children, surrendered to the troops at different locations between May 1 and May 14.
He said that 53,262 had so far surrendered as of May 16.
Onyeuko said that troops killed Malam Shehu, who was the Amir and spiritual head of the group and some of his foot soldiers during a clearance operation in their enclaves at Jaje, Mango Ali, Dissa, Balangaje.
He said the troops had, on May 14, neutralised Abubakar Sarki, a terrorists’ commander and his fighters in Sambisa forest at Yuwe, in Konduga Local Government Area of the state.
