Owerri
Operatives of the Imo state Police command, Monday, repelled an attack on the palace of the Chairman Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Emmanuel Okeke in Orlu, Imo state.
According to a press statement issued by the command spokesman, CSP Mike Abattam, and made available to newsmen, “On 16/5/2022 at about 0800 hours at Orlu, hoodlums suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN), in their numbers were sighted in three Hilux vehicle shooting sporadically, fiercely advancing towards the palace of the Chairman State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Highness Eze Dr E. C Okeke to unleash terror therein.”
The statement said, “on receipt of the information, the command’s tactical team, joined by the military, immediately mobilised and rushed to the palace. On their way, the hoodlums on sighting the combined team engaged them in a gun duel, throwing petrol bombs.
“The gallant team responded, positioning themselves professionally. In the exchange of gun fire that ensued, the hoodlums were overwhelmed due to the superior fire-power of the combined team and in the process, six of the hoodlums were neutralized while others escaped with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
“The combined team did not relent in their effort as they chased the hoodlums recovering one pump action gun, three blood stained cutlasses and three Hilux Vehicles suspected to have been snatched from innocent citizens.”
Blueprint gathered that calm has since been restored in the area after the corpses of the neutralised gunmen were removed and deposited in the mortuary.
It was also gathered that no life was lost on the side of the combined team but one of the police vehicles got burnt as a result of the petrol bomb attack.
