The police command in Ebonyi on Friday, July 7, announced the arrest of 15 persons suspected to be involved in the recent shooting by the Proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members at New Market and Ishieke axis.
Reliable reports have it that the shooting was carried out as the suspects forced residents to abide by the order issued by IPOB, stopping all residents from coming out of their homes for a week – July 3 to 10.
According to the commissioner of police in the state, Faleye Olayele, who spoke with journalists in Abakaliki on Friday, among the 15 suspects arrested from their hideouts, two (Okwudili Otozi and Nnenna Ali) were herbalists. Olaleye disclosed that the arrest was carried out when the suspects were preparing for another operation.
His words: “They have attacked our area commander and burnt our vehicle. They have been terrorizing the state. On July 4, they came to Ishieke firing sporadically and that was on Tuesday.
“I want to tell you that 15 of them have been apprehended, together with their herbalists. We recovered arms and charms of different kinds.
“This shows that our officers are dedicated to their duties; the arrest was made possible by our men through the information we got.”
However, one of the herbalists, Otozi, confessed that he was forced to join the gang.
He said: “I did not know that they wanted to operate in Ebonyi; they came to me and requested for medicine and I gave it to them, after which they forced me to join them to the bush for further preparations.
“Please, I was forced to follow them after I gave them the medicine.”
