Ebonyi Attacks: Police parades teenager, 60 others

The Police Command in Ebonyi on Monday, paraded 60 suspects including a teenager over alleged attacks on its personnel and public facilities, among other offences.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Aliyu Garba, while parading the suspects, remarked that over 50 of them were directly involved in various attacks on police personnel, facilities and public infrastructure across the state.

Garba said that several AK 47 and AR rifles with live ammunition, locally made pistols, locally-fabricated improvised explosives, machetes, jack-knives, charms among other items were recovered from the suspects.

The commissioner noted that one of the suspects Daniel Elom, 17, a self-confessed member of Eastern Security Network (ESN) specialised in mapping out strategies for attacks by the group.

“Elom took police operatives to the group’s hideout at Agabaja-Izzi community in Abakaliki Local Government Area (LGA) where the owner of the house escaped and abandoned his wife and child.

“Police personnel conducted a search in the house and recovered most of the items as Elom confessed that meetings for planned attacks on police facilities were held at such hideouts,” he said.

He noted that Elom further confessed the group’s responsibility for the attack on the Army checkpoint at Amasiri, Afikpo North LGA of the state on May 26 where two army officers were killed.

“He also confessed that the group was responsible for the attack on Central Police station Abakaliki, during the #EndSARS protest in 2020 where a police inspector was killed.

“One of the AK 47 rifles recovered from the group was crossed-checked and found to be the same rifle stolen by the hoodlums from the late inspector,” he said.

Garba also said that one Nathaniel Itumo was arrested for killing Idike Agwu, an Ebubeagu security outfit’s personnel on May 31 and had been charged to court for murder.

“We thank the state governor for his immense support especially for his recent donation of 90 protective helmets and 90 bullet-proof vests to the command.

Mr Stanley Okoro-Emegha, state Commissioner for Border, Peace and Internal Security said that the wife of the slain Ebubeagu personnel had been placed on monthly salary in the outfit’s welfare scheme.

Okoro-Emegha, who is the Coordinator of the outfit in the state, said that it would not be deterred by the loss of its personnel but redouble its efforts to provide adequate security to the citizens.

Elom on interrogation by newsmen, noted that in spite of being a teenager, he was promised a top position in the ESN group when it actualised its ambition.