Suspected IPOB/ESN Commander Arrested In Anambra
Police in Anambra State have arrested a suspected top commander of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/ Eastern Security Network (ESN), Udebuan Chubueze.
Chubueze was said to have been apprehended by operatives attached to the Anambra State Police Command on Friday with a gunshot injury.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations at the command, Aderemi Adeoye, confirmed the arrest of the suspect to Channels Television on Saturday.
“We commend this breakthrough, as this will further weaken the strength of IPOB/ESN against the security men,” he said.
He explained that following the arrest of Chubueze, the security operatives conducted a search of his houses in Ekwolobia and Nnewi towns.
During the operation, Adeoye revealed that four AK-47 rifles, two automatic pump action guns, and ammunition were recovered.
The suspect allegedly confessed to having led several attacks on police facilities, and that he was part of the group responsible for the killing of some policemen and personnel of the Nigerian Navy.
On his part, the deputy police commissioner stated that the command was already investigating the suspect, saying criminals have no place in Anambra State.
Recently, tension has been brewing in Anambra amid the fragile security situation in the state ahead of the November 6 governorship election to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This took a new twist on Friday when five gunmen died in an attempt to attack a convoy of a joint team of security forces at Nnobi in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
The assailants were said to have laid a siege for the security team at Nnobi Junction while on a show of force exercise ahead of the governorship poll.
Led by the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Echeng Echeng, the operatives successfully repelled the gunmen following a fierce gunfight that lasted a while.
The team comprised personnel of the police, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), among others.
