Soldiers kill two Imo gunmen, recover charms, weapons

The Nigerian Army has said troops of the 34 Artillery Brigade have killed two gunmen and arrested four other suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network.

The Army said the ESN members opened fire on the troops during a routine patrol around the general area and the All Saints Church along the Orlu-Orsu Road on  April 25, 2022.

The Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Tuesday, said the troops overpowered the gang.

The statement partly read, “On sighting the patrol team, the criminal elements opened fire and launched a grenade attack on the troops. The vigilant troops responded with superior firepower, neutralising two of the criminal elements and compelling others to flee in disarray.

“In a hot pursuit that followed the encounter, the troops arrested four of the fleeing gunmen and recovered one AK-47 rifle, two magazines, one police grenade launcher, two Baofeng communication radios, five mobile phones, one IPOB beret, two motorcycles, four SIM cards, five wallets containing different ID cards, aphrodisiac, charms and the sum of N16, 460 only.

“Preliminary investigation on the suspects’ mobile phones reveals gory pictures and videos depicting scenes of cold-blooded murders; corpses displayed in shrines and other heinous atrocities committed by the criminals.”