The police in Ebonyi have discovered the biggest “bomb factory in the South-East” operated by the militia arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Eastern Security Network.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ebonyi State Police Command, Chris Anyanwu, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said men of the command uncovered the factory after a tip-off on the activities of the miscreants in Obegu, a boundary area between Onicha-Isu and Ishielu Local Government Areas of the state.
He said two of the hoodlums were killed during a gun duel with police operatives in the curse of the operation.
The PPRO said one of the IPOB/ESN commanders was apprehended.
“The invasion of the criminals’ den was necessitated by an earlier encounter between operatives of the Command’s Tactical Teams, sequel to credible information gathered that the hoodlums were operating/wreaking havoc in the State with a Toyota Sienna space bus which they robbed at gunpoint from the owner within Ishielu axis”.
“A quick trail and joint effort with a team of detectives attached to Ohaukwu Division led to the arrest of Sunday Ubah a.k.a Bongo, the State Commander of the IPOB/ESN in Ebonyi State.
“The miscreant who gave revealing pieces of information about the activities and modus operandi of the criminals, initially claimed that he is their PRO and native of Umunnochi in Isuikwuato LGA, Abia State.
“However, a scrupulous investigation aided by his antecedents/profile with the Police Command proved that he is a native of Obegu, Onicha LGA of Ebonyi State and indeed the factional Commander of the outfit in Obegu”.
Anyanwu said some officers sustained minor bullet injuries that after the encounter, police operatives swooped on the houses and residences of the group’s commander and others.
He said massive incriminating exhibits were found during the search of houses and residences of the group’s commanders.
According to him, among the discoveries were Improvised Explosive Devices and parts used in making IEDs
“The Police bomb expert in the Command described it as a complete Bomb Factory – the biggest in the South-East and that each of the hand grenades (first of its kind) is capable of causing colossal damage to buildings and mass killing of humans,” the police spokesman said.
He listed the items recovered as “30 pieces of IEDs using safety fuses primed in non-electric initiator/detonator, Sixty-three (63) wraps of Superpower 90mm gelatin, two (02) Solar prime 90mm gelatin, sixteen (16) Danger 90 gelatin, twenty (20) Ideal power 90 gelatin 50mm, two hundred and thirty-nine (239) pieces of plain Non-electric detonators, fourteen (14) pieces of primed nonels, ninety-nine (99) pieces of one-inch safety fuses, and One complete roll of Safety fuse.”
