The Nigeria Police Force has announced that its operatives from the Imo State Command have neutralized three “deadly terrorist kingpins” linked to the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the operation took place on January 24, 2025, when operatives from the Command’s tactical unit, following credible intelligence, launched a coordinated operation aimed at locating and dislodging the terrorists’ hideouts.
In a statement on Saturday, Adejobi said the police operatives located the terrorists’ hideout in a forest within Ihube, Okigwe Local Government Area of the state.
According to him, upon approach, the operatives came under heavy fire from suspected ESN terrorists, an armed wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
He said the operation resulted in the neutralization of six members of the terrorist group, with three being ESN kingpins identified as Ifeanyi Anayo a.k.a. Zuma De Rock, Chukwuemeka Odionyenfe a.k.a. Nmimi, and Kingsley Sunday.
He further stated that about five AK-47 rifles, 552 rounds of live ammunition, Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, several communication equipment, and eight operational motorcycles used by the group were recovered.
“Prior investigations had revealed the involvement of the group in several high-profile crimes, including the attack on the Owerri Correctional Center on April 5, 2021, the killing of five policemen in Umunna, Okigwe, on December 12, 2022, and the burning of Arondizuogu Police Station on February 8, 2022.
“The group was also involved in multiple kidnappings, including those of WAEC staff on June 5, 2023, four reverend sisters on August 21, 2022, and four Chinese nationals on December 6, 2023,” the statement added.
