Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have killed a suspected armed robbery gang leader and arrested four other suspects during separate security operations targeting criminal gangs in border communities across the state.
The operations, conducted under the Command’s “Handshake Patrol” initiative, also led to the recovery of firearms, suspected hard drugs and other incriminating items.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, said the major breakthrough occurred on June 28 when officers attached to the Amechi-Idodo Division, in collaboration with members of the Neighbourhood Watch, foiled an attempted robbery along the Enugu-Abakaliki Road.
According to him, the suspects had allegedly barricaded a section of the road and were preparing to rob commuters before security operatives engaged them in a gun battle.
Ndukwe said the suspected gang leader, identified as Ifesinachi Kenneth, sustained gunshot wounds during the exchange of fire and was arrested, while other members of the gang escaped.
He added that Kenneth later provided information that led to the arrest of another suspect, Izuchukwu Nwanga, who was allegedly keeping proceeds of the gang’s operations. Kenneth, however, died while receiving treatment.
In a separate operation on the same day, police operatives acting on intelligence raided a suspected criminal hideout at Umumba Ndiagu community and arrested two suspects, Uwah Ifesinachi Sunday, 23, and Chinonso Okafor Paul, 25.
The police said items recovered from the suspects included a locally made pistol, a knife, scissors and substances suspected to be Indian hemp.
Also, operatives of the Command’s Distress Response Squad arrested a 21-year-old suspect, Ifediri Nwobu, during a stop-and-search operation along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway after allegedly recovering a cut-to-size gun from him.
According to the police, the suspect attempted to evade arrest by jumping into a nearby river but was apprehended.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mamman Giwa, commended the officers involved in the operations and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining its crackdown on violent crime and improving security across border communities.
