The Anambra State Police Command has recorded another major breakthrough in its ongoing crackdown on criminal activities, neutralising two armed suspects during a fierce gun battle and recovering a cache of weapons and a stolen vehicle.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the operation took place in the early hours of January 14, 2026, at Enugwu Agidi Junction in Dunukofia Local Government Area.
Ikenga said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, acting on “credible and actionable intelligence,” laid an ambush on a five-man gang suspected to be armed robbers, cultists and members of a proscribed secessionist group.
“Upon sighting the operatives, the suspects engaged the officers in a fierce gun battle that lasted for about two hours,” the police spokesperson said.
He disclosed that two of the suspects sustained fatal gunshot injuries during the exchange, while three others escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.
Items recovered at the scene included “one T.06 rifle, two pump-action guns, twenty-four rounds of T.06 ammunition, fifteen live cartridges, assorted criminal charms, a cult red beret, and one black Toyota Highlander vehicle,” Ikenga stated.
He further revealed that one of the neutralised suspects, before dying, confessed that the gang was involved in previous violent operations in the state.
“While in deep agony, one of the armed suspects confessed that the gang members were among those who launched an unsuccessful but repelled attack on the convoy of the former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige,” Ikenga said.
According to him, the suspect also admitted that the group doubled as a striking squad of the Vikings confraternity, allegedly on a mission to retaliate the killing of one of their members by a rival cult group.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, fwc, mnips, PhD, commended the operatives for their gallantry and professionalism.
The police commissioner, however, charged them to “intensify efforts to arrest other fleeing members of the gang, especially those who escaped with gunshot injuries during the encounter.”
The police command also issued a public advisory to hospitals and medical facilities across the state.
“Hospital or related medical facilities are advised to admit anyone with gunshot wounds or related injuries but must endeavour to report such cases immediately to the nearest police station,” Ikenga warned.
He assured residents that investigations are ongoing and pledged that further updates would be communicated as the operation progresses.
