The Anambra State Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its ongoing crackdown on violent crime, with a police-led Joint Security Patrol Team neutralising four suspected members of an armed secessionist gang during a fierce gun battle in Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.
The operation, which took place on the evening of June 23 along the Ogboji–Ajalli Road, resulted in the recovery of a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), two AK-47 rifles, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), ammunition, police camouflage uniforms, communication gadgets and other operational items believed to belong to the criminal syndicate.
Confirming the development on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the success followed sustained intelligence gathering and proactive security operations targeting the movement of heavily armed criminals in the area.
According to him, the Joint Security Team encountered the suspects while conducting a visibility and confidence-building patrol, leading to an exchange of gunfire.
“The Police-led Joint Security Patrol Team, Aguata Sector, recorded a major operational success on the evening of 23rd June 2026 following an armed confrontation with a suspected secessionist armed gang along the Ogboji–Ajalli Road in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State,” Ikenga stated.
He disclosed that four suspected gang members were neutralised during the operation, while a large cache of weapons and other exhibits was recovered.
The recovered items include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) loaded with 53 rounds of linked live ammunition, two AK-47 rifles, two magazines, 29 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 13 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition and four undetonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Security operatives also recovered police camouflage uniforms and accessories, a white Toyota Sienna bus with registration number KJA 919 KH (Lagos), ten Android phones, two feature phones, a laptop computer, a Point-of-Sale (POS) machine, two power banks, assorted charms, two live cartridges, ATM cards, a National Identification Card and a Driver’s Licence belonging to identified individuals.
Ikenga explained that the operation was intelligence-driven and followed credible information gathered over time regarding the activities and movement of the armed group.
“The operation was carried out during a visibility and confidence-building patrol following credible intelligence gathered over time concerning the movement of heavily armed suspected members of a secessionist armed group operating in the aforementioned Toyota Sienna vehicle,” he said.
He added that preliminary investigations indicate that several other gang members escaped into nearby bushes with varying degrees of gunshot injuries after the encounter.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that other members of the gang fled into the surrounding bushes with varying degrees of gunshot injuries. Consequently, the Joint Security Team has intensified its operations in the area, including extensive combing and search efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects and recover additional weapons and operational equipment,” Ikenga stated.
Reaffirming the Command’s resolve to combat violent crime, the police spokesman stressed that security agencies would sustain intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks across the state.
“The Anambra State Police Command reiterates its unwavering commitment, in collaboration with other security agencies, to sustaining proactive, intelligence-led, and results-oriented operations against criminal elements that threaten the peace, safety, and security of residents across the State,” he added.
The latest operation marks one of the most significant security breakthroughs in Anambra in recent months as authorities intensify efforts to rid the state of armed groups and restore public confidence in safety and law enforcement.
