From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Operation Stop-and-Search instituted by the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Mohammed Barde paid off on Thursday when the officers on duty in Orlu engaged gunmen suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in a gun duel and killed one of them on the spot.
According to a statement by the state police spokesman, Michael Abattam, the suspects, who came in a Sienna vehicle, on sighting the officers at a checkpoint, opened fire. But the superior power of the men on duty overwhelmed the hoodlums who later escaped into nearby bush, with bullet wounds. The vehicle used in the operation, according to Abattam, was snatched from its owner at Isu Local Government Area but was recovered alongside some ammunition used by the hoodlums.
In all, items recovered, he said, include the Sienna vehicle, one AK-47 rifle with 15 rounds of live ammunition, two English made pump action guns with 10 rounds of live cartridges and assorted charms.