The Anambra State Police Command has busted a deadly gang linked to the attack on former Labour Minister, Senator Chris Ngige’s convoy, with two suspects killed in a fierce gun duel and others fleeing with gunshot wounds.
Police described the operation as a major breakthrough in the state’s battle against violent crime.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, acting on credible intelligence, laid a trap for the five-man gang at the Enugwu Agidi junction.
Trouble started when the suspects reportedly opened fire on sighting the police, triggering a prolonged exchange that lasted for hours.
“During the exchange, which lasted about two hours, two of the armed suspects sustained fatal gunshot injuries, while three others escaped with varying degrees of injuries,” the PPRO stated.
A cache of weapons and incriminating items was recovered at the scene, including one T.06 rifle, two pump-action guns, 24 rounds of T.06 ammunition, 15 live cartridges, assorted criminal charms, a cult red beret, and a black Toyota Highlander.
In a chilling twist, Ikenga disclosed that one of the suspects, before dying, confessed that the gang was responsible for the earlier attack on Senator Ngige’s convoy. The suspect also admitted to being part of the strike squad of the Vikings confraternity, allegedly on a retaliatory mission following the killing of one of their members by a rival cult group.
Commending the operatives for their bravery, the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, ordered an intensified manhunt for the fleeing suspects to ensure their arrest.
He also called on hospitals and medical facilities across the state to treat persons with gunshot injuries, while promptly reporting such cases to the nearest police station, as security agencies tighten the noose around criminal networks in Anambra.
