The Imo State Police Command says it has foiled an attempted attack in Oguta Local Government Area, killed a suspected criminal kingpin and arrested two suspects linked to a series of violent crimes in the area.
The Command disclosed this in a statement issued in Owerri on Thursday, September 17, 2026, by its Public Relations Officer, DSP Okoye Henry, who said the breakthrough followed investigations into the foiled attack on Agwa Police Division on August 21, 2026, and other violent incidents in Oguta.
According to Okoye, the suspected kingpin, identified as Chiemela, also known as “Disaster,” was killed during the security operation.
He said investigations arising from the incident subsequently led to the arrest of suspected accomplices and the raid of a criminal hideout at Ubah Agwa in Oguta LGA.
Okoye said operatives on September 15 arrested 29-year-old Jones Okechukwu Anyim of Umuokijo Mgbala Agwa, Oguta LGA, in connection with the alleged crimes.
He said the arrest followed information and confessions obtained from 32-year-old Happiness Uche of Ubah Agwa.
Following the arrest, police operatives, working with the Divisional Police Officer of Agwa Police Division and his team, proceeded to the suspected hideout in Ubah Agwa.
Okoye said the suspects opened fire after sighting the police team but were eventually overpowered by the officers’ superior firepower and fled the area.
According to him, some of the fleeing suspects were believed to have sustained gunshot injuries during the exchange of fire.
A search of an abandoned, uncompleted bungalow at the location led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle without a visible identification number and two AK-47 magazines containing 52 rounds of live ammunition.
The police also recovered four military uniforms, five police uniforms bearing name tags, three Biafra flags, six Biafra regalia uniforms, three uniforms marked ESN and four berets marked ESN.
Other items recovered included a hand grenade, several ATM cards allegedly belonging to different victims, various denominations of currency bearing Biafran inscriptions, foreign currencies, enlarged photographs of an unidentified person and objects suspected to be ritual materials.
The police spokesperson said the suspected hideout had been dislodged and secured, while operatives were continuing efforts to track and apprehend the fleeing suspects.
He assured that the arrested suspects would be charged to court after the completion of a thorough investigation.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, CP Audu Garba Bosso, commended the operatives for their courage and professionalism during the operation.
Bosso, according to Okoye, urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information to the police to support ongoing efforts to combat violent crime across the state.
The Commissioner assured the public that further developments would be communicated as investigations progress.
