Connect with us

Metro News

We used heads of 10 girls for fortification rituals, attacked Imo prison, police stations – ESN commander

Published

on

ESN, Emeoyiri Benjamin

 

A self-confessed commander of the Eastern Security Network, the paramilitary arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Emeoyiri Benjamin, has explained his roles in some bloody attacks carried out by the group in Imo State.

28-year-old Benjamin, dubbed Onye Army, also explained how he and his gang members fortified themselves with charms prepared with heads of 10 young girls abducted in the state.

Benjamin was apprehended recently by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team deployed in Imo.

Narrating his criminal escapades, Benjamin said that he joined ESN in 2020 and was trained in a camp for two weeks.

He said that he participated in the attacks on Owerri Correctional Centre, Imo Police Command headquarters, Orlu Police Station and the country home of the state Governor, Hope Uzodimma.

Several inmates escaped during the prison break, while a policeman was killed in the governor’s residence in Omuma, Oru East Local Government Area of the state, and vehicles vandalised.

READ  IPOB denies issuing order for boycott of election in S’East

He said the group attacked Uzodimma’s house to avenge the killing of one Ikonso, who he described as a top ESN commander.

Benjamin stated, “I am from Uzombe town in Uguta, Imo State. I was in the village in 2019 when one John approached me. He knew I had been looking for a military job without success so he advised me to join IPOB. I was attending IPOB meetings in Orlu every Sunday. I attended the meeting until November 2020 when Mazi Nnamdi Kanu formed the ESN.

“I volunteered to join the ESN and I was trained with many others from different parts of the country in a camp close to the Niger Bridge. Before I went to the camp, I was living in a church in Orlu owned by Nwachukwu. While at the camp, we were given military training and our phones were seized from us.

“After our training we were given boots and uniforms and asked to go back to our various state commanders. My state commander was the late Ikonso. We were not given any money. When I got back to Imo State, I reported back to the church which served as one of our camps at that time. Then, we got an order that there shouldn’t be any police or military checkpoints in the South-East. All the ESN state commanders asked their fighters to comply with the order. I also obeyed the order because I have taken an oath.”

READ  THE KNOCK DOWN CONTINUES: Dayo Amusa calls Yomi Fabiyi a shame over new movie ‘Oko Iyabo’

Benjamin said they first attacked a police checkpoint in Orlu during which a policeman and two of his members were killed in a gun battle.

He explained that policemen busted their camp in Orlu and they relocated to Anambra State, where they continued attacks on police stations and checkpoints.

He added, “Ikonso, one Engineer Mike and Temple organised the attack on the Owerri Prison and Imo State Police Command headquarters. We stole 50 police rifles. We were over 100 fighters who went for the operation but on our way back, some soldiers attacked us and many of our fighters were killed.

“We carried out a few other attacks on security formations in Imo and Anambra states before Ikonso was killed in his residence. After his death, we burnt the governor’s house and killed a security man.”

The suspect said they had killed 30 persons so far in vengeance of Ikonso’s killing and attacked Orlu Police Division to free their members detained at the station.

READ  Troops raid IPOB/ESN camp in Ebonyi, kill one, recover arms

He said, “We went in 10 vehicles. We tied white and red clothes on our bodies for protection against bullets. We prepared the charms with the heads of 10 young girls.

“Temple and Mike came up with the suggestion to use the girls for the charms and we abducted them in Imo State. Unfortunately, before we got to the Orlu Police Station, a police armoured vehicle attacked us and killed 12 of our fighters and injured four others.”

 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Metro News

EFCC arrests three brothers for suspected internet fraud in Makurdi

Published

on

By

 

Operatives of the Makurdi Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday May 17, 2024 arrested three brothers for suspected internet fraud.

 

The siblings were arrested along New Garage, Wadata in Makurdi.

Spokesman of the agency, Dele Oyewale, who made this known on Sunday, said the suspects, Abubakar Sadiq Adejoh, Mohammed Habib Adejoh and Solomon Adejoh allegedly specialise in diverting customers’ funds from their accounts to a Point of Sale, POS, terminal for withdrawal.

Items recovered from them include a car, six mobile phones, one laptop and cash totaling N3,562,750.00 ( Three Million Five Hundred and Sixty Two Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira) only.

 

They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

READ  Tinubu bags traditional title in Tompolo’s hometown
Continue Reading

Metro News

Hoodlums kill two, kidnap 7 in Ebonyi communal clashes

Published

on

By

 

Two persons were killed while seven others were abducted in an attack on Ikachi Village in Akparata area of Effium in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, the police have confirmed

The spokesperson for Ebonyi Police Command, DSP Joshua Ukandu, who confirmed the incident added that the assailants also destroyed property worth millions of naira in the area on Sunday.

He added that the police have been working with other security agencies to restore peace into the area and to also ascertain the cause of the latest flare-up of communal clashes in the area.

Ezza and Effium communities have been enmeshed in deadly clashes since 2021.

 

“We are aware of the attack and the command is on top of the situation.

 

“We have been working with other security agencies to ensure that peace returned to the area.

 

“The command is also investigating the attack to ascertain the root cause of the matter,” Ukandu said.

READ  Kanu hires U.S. firm to lobby for Biafra

 

The police spokesman said that officers and men of the command were committed to the protection of lives and property in Ebonyi.

Continue Reading

Metro News

VIDEO: NDLEA declares couple over cocaine seizures, traces two buildings to suspects

Published

on

By

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has arrested four members of a drug cartel who runs a cocaine cartel from India in Lagos with a Sports Utility vehicle and two houses belonging to the syndicate, already traced to them sealed for forfeiture to the Federal Government.

 

This is just as a couple, Kazeem Omogoriola Owoalade (alias Abdul Qassim Adisa Balogun) and Rashidat Ayinke Owoalade (alias Bolarinwa Rashidat Ayinke), also members of the cartel have been declared wanted by NDLEA in connection with cocaine trade.

 

Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi who made this known, said “Two other members of the syndicate, Imran Taofeek Olalekan and Ishola Isiaka Olalekan were arrested on April 3, 2024 following their bid to export 3.40kg cocaine on a Qatar Airlines flight going to Oman through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos.

 

“While Imran was the courier conveying the drug consignment to Oman, Ishola recruited him for the head of the cartel, which investigation has now revealed to be Alhaji Kazeem Omogoriola Owoalade whose Indian residence permit bears Abdul Qassim Adisa Balogun based in India.

“Efforts to dismantle his network in Nigeria paid off after five weeks of surveillance and follow up operations when another member of the syndicate, Hamed Abimbola Saheed who works directly with the baron was arrested on Tuesday 14th May at Abule Egba area of Lagos.

“It was indeed Saheed who lodged Imran in a hotel a day before his aborted trip to Oman and equally dropped him and Ishola at the Lagos airport the day they were arrested.

 

“During a search of Hamed house, NDLEA operatives recovered some phenacetine, a cutting agent for Cocaine, weighing 900 grams.

READ  Akpabio will be Senate president – Uzodinma

 

“He confessed that the recovered substance was what was left of the consignment Imran was taking to Oman the day he was arrested.

 

“His arrest led to a follow up operation at the home of the Owoalade couple at 20 Eyiaro street, Ogudu Orioke, Lagos where another suspect was arrested and a new model Toyota RAV4 SUV marked FKJ-773 JJ belonging to Rashidat and additional 400 grams of Cocaine recovered in addition to already prepared suitcases to be used for illicit drug concealment, digital weighing scales and other paraphernalia”.

 

In the same vein, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, attached to a courier firm in Lagos on Wednesday 15th May intercepted two parcels, containing Cocaine and Amphetamine concealed in steel bolts and shea butter.

While the cocaine weighing 587 grams, was concealed in eight steel bolt screws going to China, the Amphetamine consignment packed in vape pens and hidden in shea butter was going to the United Kingdom.

 

Attempts by Emeka Nwadiaro (aka Mega) to export 3.6kg Loud, a strain of cannabis concealed in 36 water flasks to Dubai, UAE was also thwarted at a logistic company in Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Thursday 16th May while a swift follow up operation led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Emeka Nwadiaro in Onitsha, Anambra state same day.

 

While NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted a mercedes benz bus loaded with 840kg cannabis and arrested the driver, Samuel Henry, at Olojo in Ojo LGA, Lagos, another suspect, Lawal Adam was nabbed along Otukpo road, Aliade, Benue state on Friday 17th May with 75,000 pills of opioids including tramadol and exol-5.

READ  THE KNOCK DOWN CONTINUES: Dayo Amusa calls Yomi Fabiyi a shame over new movie ‘Oko Iyabo’

 

Two suspects: Olisa Etisi, 32, and Jonathan Umeh, 25, were arrested along Owerri – Onitsha road, Imo state following the discovery by NDLEA operatives of a big gas cyclinder used to conceal six blocks of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 3.85kg.

 

In Borno state, 70-year-old Adamu Mohammed was arrested at Mbulamel, Biu LGA on Thursday 16th May with 2kg cannabis and 33.55grams of diazepam, while Gaddafi Sani, 27, was arrested with 30 kilograms of cannabis along Abuja-Kaduna road, Kaduna.

 

In Yobe state, a consignment of 91.1kg opioids and 13kg cannabis going to Maiduguri, Borno state, was recovered from hidden compartments of a petrol tanker along Potiskum-Damaturu road by NDLEA officers who arrested the driver, Ismaila Ali.

 

No less than four suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 2,025 pieces of improvised explosive devices (IED) materials intercepted in a Toyota hummer bus marked AGL 905 XX by NDLEA officers along Agaie – Lapai road, Niger state.

 


The duo of Abdulrauf Shitu Adeyemi, 46, and Asmiyu Rahim, 45, conyeying the IED materials were arrested on the spot. Follow up operations led to the arrest of Husaini Abdullahi, 25, at Sokoto main market, Sokoto and Nazifi Abdullahi, 37, at Naibawa Motor Park, Kano on Friday 17th May.

 

The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has directed that all four suspects and the explosive materials be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.

 

In another operation, Muhammad Lawal, 42, was nabbed at Central Market Motor Park, Katsina State with 1,000 Ampoules of Pentazocine injection.

READ  Newspapers Headlines: EFCC vows to arrest politicians involved in vote buying

 

Also, a total of 105kg cannabis was on Friday 17th May recovered from a house at Obola community, Owan West LGA, Edo state and a suspect, Gloria Oris arrested when NDLEA officers raided the area.

 

In Kwara state, two suspects: Abdulganiyu Karaman, 55, and Sunday Abel, 37, were on Saturday 18th May arrested with 83kg cannabis and tramadol at Boriya, Baruten LGA, and Offa respectively.

With the same vigour, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week.

 

Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and teachers of Government Girls Science secondary school, Malumfashi and Government Girls Science Secondary School, Daudawa, Katsina; Government Girls Science College, Tunga Magajiya Rijau LGA, Niger state.

 

Others are students and teachers of St. Theresa’s College Oke-Ado, Ibadan, Oyo state; students of Government Girls Secondary School, Tudun Wada, Kano; students of Dein secondary school, Imobi secondary school and St. Columbas Grammar School, Agbor, Delta State.

 

While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Rivers, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Borno, Niger, Benue, Kwara, Imo, and Edo Commands of the Agency as well as those of DOGI for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said the efforts have further affirmed the cardinal role of NDLEA in the security architecture of the country.

 

He equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures to create a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.

Continue Reading

Trending News