Police in Imo State, Nigeria, have arrested two suspected terrorists and recovered a cache of weapons and military equipment after dismantling an alleged hideout in Oguta Local Government Area. The operation, announced by the Imo State Police Command on Sunday, followed an investigation into a failed attack on the Agwa Police Division on August 21, 2026, as well as other violent crimes in the region.
Henry Okoye, the command’s Public Relations Officer, stated that the crackdown led to the neutralization of a suspected terrorist leader known as Chiemela, or "Disaster," during the initial foiled attack. Subsequent investigations resulted in the arrest of suspected accomplices and the dislodgement of an alleged IPOB/ESN camp located at Ubah Agwa.
According to Okoye, the first arrest was Jones Okechukwu Anyim, 29, a resident of Umuokijo Mgbala Agwa, who was detained on September 15, 2026. Police indicated that Anyim’s arrest was based on information and confessions allegedly provided by Happiness Uche, 32, of Ubah Agwa. Following the arrest, police operatives, working with the Divisional Police Officer of Agwa Police Division, moved to the suspected hideout.
“On sighting police operatives, the hoodlums opened fire but were swiftly overpowered by the superior firepower of the police, forcing them to flee,” Okoye said.
Police reported that some of the fleeing suspects sustained gunshot injuries. A search of an abandoned, uncompleted bungalow at the site yielded an AK-47 rifle without a visible identification number, two AK-47 magazines loaded with 52 rounds of live ammunition, and a hand grenade. The authorities also seized four military uniforms and five police uniforms bearing name tags.
Additional exhibits recovered from the hideout included three Biafra flags, six Biafra-regalia uniforms, three ESN-marked uniforms, and four ESN-marked berets. The command also confiscated various ATM cards allegedly belonging to victims, currency notes with Biafran inscriptions, foreign currencies, enlarged photographs of an unidentified person, and objects suspected to be ritual materials.
The police command stated that the hideout has been secured and that efforts are currently underway to track and arrest the remaining suspects who fled the scene. The two arrested individuals will be charged in court once investigations are completed, with further updates to be communicated as the case progresses.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
