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General News of Wednesday, 11 August 2021

Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

Police arrest ESN spiritual leader with IED, guns

The police The police

The Imo State Police Command said it has uncovered a spiritual house where members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) fortify themselves before their attacks.

The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Michael Abattam, in a statement, yesterday, said members of the gang now patronise spiritual homes after their camps and native doctors were neutralised.

Abattam disclosed that interrogation of one of the suspects arrested on August 4, at Okporo, Orlu, revealed the latest source of the power of the proscribed arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The police spokesperson said the suspect, after interrogation, led the tactical team of the police to Amii, Akabor, in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, where the alleged spiritual leader, Ikechukwu Umaefulem, was arrested.

Umaefulem, the police said, is the Chief Priest and Spiritual leader of Life Sabbath Synagogue at Ikeduru.

Upon his arrest, his home was searched and one pump action gun with five rounds of live cartridges, one Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and gunpowder was said to have been found.

Other items found are knockouts, Biafran Flag and other spiritual items.

Abattam described the successful operation of the team to the charge by the commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, to stop at nothing to reed the State of other members of the gang still hiding in some quarters.

He said that the arrested spiritualist was in their custody, undergoing interrogation and assisting the police with information that would lead to the discovery of the remnants of other members of the group in hiding.

IPOB, in a swift reaction, has denied the arrested priest as their spiritualist and member.

Media and Publicity Secretary of the group, Emma Powerful, in a statement, claimed that the arrest was only intended to implicate their leader, Kanu, who is facing trials.

He also reiterated that ESN does not kill or intimidate people, but only goes after killer herdsmen terrorising people in the South East.