More information is emerging on how a joint team of Police, military and other security operatives foiled the attempted attack on the Imo State Police Divisional/Area Command in Orlu on Thursday evening.

This is just as residents recounted their nightmare while the gun duel lasted, with one of them saying: “We passed through hell last night (Thursday), as we could not sleep. The gun battle was too heavy and scary.

“We are tired of gun battle in this area; let peace return. We do not sleep with our eyes open nowadays. No day passes without one form of gun exchange experience or the other.”

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Orlu, Owerri the state capital and environs.

It was gathered that the same gang members were responsible for the attack on several Police stations across the state.

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The state Police Command, yesterday, paraded nine bodies of some of the yet to be identified gunmen. In the gun duel that lasted about eight hours, a joint security team, comprising soldiers, policemen and other security operatives, successfully repelled the attack, leaving nine of the gunmen dead.

Parading the bodies at the Command headquarters in Owerri, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abutu Yaro, said during the gun battle, members of the criminal gang fled with bullets wounds and abandoned their operational vehicles in the process, while four of the security personnel sustained various degree of injuries and were currently responding to treatment.

He explained: “On the 6/5/2021, a group of bandits attempted to attack the Divisional Police and Area Command headquarters, both in Orlu LGA, but were successfully repelled.

“However, the operatives IGP Response Team (IRT), in conjunction with the Special Forces and other tactical teams of the Command, engaged them in a shootout and in a bid to retreat and escape, they met the reinforcement teams from the military and DSS, they were then engaged from on both fronts.

“The hoodlums were seen in a viral video around Orlu metropolis stealing and forcefully collecting items from people and also causing public disorder and brandishing assorted types of rifles with brazen bravado.

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“They are reasonably believed to be part of the hoodlums that attacked the Police headquarters and the Correctional Service on April 5, 2021.”

The Police chief also listed items recovered from the hoodlums to include four AK 47 rifles; one pump action gun; two Toyota Siena cars; one Toyota Hilux van; one SUV Highlander; one SUV Land Rover; one Nissan Pick up van and assorted charms.

While reassuring residents of the state of their safety, Yaro said: “Recall that I took over duty as the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, yesterday, being 06/5/2021 and during my inaugural briefing, I told Imolities that we shall occupy the public space and also re-strategise to ensure crime and criminality is reduced to its barest minimum.

“I also informed you that we shall do everything within our powers to ensure that Imolites sleep with both eyes closed.”

According to a source, on Thursday, May 6, technical intelligence was received that IPOB/ESN members based in a forest camp at Ideato North Council of the state were going to attack the targets, as well as the country home of Governor Hope Uzodimma.

On receiving the intelligence report, Yaro, the Army Brigade Commander, Air Force Commander and Police Special Forces were all informed and all deployed personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to Orlu area and other vulnerable places immediately.

It was learnt that around 4pm, information was received that the gang members were sighted with seven cars coming out from the forest; hence all men were immediately alerted.

On reaching Orlu Area Command office, the gang members stormed the entrance of the Command with the seven vehicles and over 40-armed men. The Police APC and personnel of IRT, Special Forces, (Police Mobile Force) PMF and Imo Command were said to have fought back to defend the Area Command and repelled the attackers.

The Police APC received several bullets from the attackers, who wielded a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and several AK47 rifles and succeeded in pursuing the attackers until an Army convoy with three APCs approaching to reinforce the Police came head on with the gang members.

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The Army and the Police teams then engaged the gang in a seriously gun battle at the point along Orlu Area Command Road and demobilised all the seven operational vehicles of the gang, killing eight of the members on the spot, while others escaped with bullet wounds.

One of the Police APC that received several bullets from the hoodlums was said to have caught fire and all efforts to put out the fire failed, more so as residents who would have assisted had escaped because of the gun battle and no water was found to extinguish the fire.

There was no reported casualty on the side of the Police and the military and no innocent citizen was hurt.

One of the attackers’ operational vehicles, a black Nissan Hilux said to have been stolen from the vigilante security men using it around 3pm before they proceeded to Orlu town for the foiled operation.

(GUARDIAN)