The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Anthony Ogbizi, has said that
lethal weapons, including petrol bombs and one double-barrel gun, were
recovered during last Sunday’s raid of the residence of the leader of
the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Mr. Ogbizi said this on Thursday during an interaction with newsmen in
Umuahia, adding that the items were recovered during a joint operation
by security personnel in the state.
He said that the petrol bombs were found in buckets and incriminating
documents and letters, concerning IPOB’s activities and plans, were also
recovered during the raid.
He said that the raid was carried out based on an intelligence report,
regarding the continued activities of some members of the group.
“We recovered many of Biafra’s insignia, staff of office and some of those items are being analysed,” Mr. Ogbizi said.
The police boss said that the operation also led to the arrest of one suspected member of IPOB.
He said that the team also discovered the telephone numbers of the
group’s zonal coordinators, adding that all the communications between
the leadership of the group and their collaborators would be thoroughly
analysed.
Mr. Ogbizi said that a Biafran flag was also found hanging on a telecommunications mast in the area.
According to him, the police will ask the Nigeria Communications
Commission to sanction any telecommunication company that allowed its
mast to be used to hoist Biafran flags.
He said that the activities of IPOB in the Southeast were “stirring
insurrection” and that security agencies would not fold their arms and
watch the group foment violence in the country.
He said that members of the group allegedly set a police station and van
ablaze in Aba, and also attacked a military patrol team in Umuahia.
The police chief said that similar joint operations would be carried out
intermittently in Kanu’s residence, anytime they received intelligence
report that offensive weapons were brought to the place.
He said that it was wrong to say that the military was taking over the
duties of the police rather the action should be seen as a synergy
between the two organisations to check security challenges.
Mr. Ogbizi said that he would not hesitate to invite the army anytime
the security situation in the state grew beyond the capacity of the
police.
NAN
No comments:
Post a Comment