The Imo State Police Command says it has arrested 2,795 suspects involved in various serious crimes across the state in the past six months, as part of an intensified crackdown on violent criminal syndicates.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, disclosed this during a press briefing on the command’s recent achievements, stating that the suspects were apprehended for offences including kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism, murder, cultism, and child trafficking.
According to CP Danjuma, the period also saw the rescue of 58 kidnapped victims and 42 stolen children, many of whom have since been reunited with their families.
“In the last six months, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, alongside other divisions and formations, arrested 2,795 suspects for various serious offences,” he said. “Investigations into these cases also led to the recovery of a large cache of arms, ammunition, and explosives, including 2 GPMG, 14 AK-47 rifles, 20 pump-action guns, four fabricated rocket launchers, gas-cylinder explosives, locally made hand grenades, Biafran flags, and criminal charms.”
The Commissioner commended residents for their continued cooperation, noting that credible intelligence from the public was crucial to the command’s recent successes.
In a related statement, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, provided further details on some key arrests.
Among those apprehended, he said, were Amechi Onyebuchi (38), Ozioma Ihedoro (39), Cyprian Ikpegbunam (50), and Uchenna Opara (30)—alleged members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). The suspects were said to have been involved in attacks on security facilities and public infrastructure in Njaba Local Government Area.
“Acting on credible intelligence, operatives raided an IPOB/ESN camp in Njaba and arrested the suspects. High-grade weapons and explosives were recovered from the scene. During interrogation, they confessed to the kidnap and murder of one Emmanuel Oguzie on the orders of a wanted ESN commander known as Asari,” Okoye said.
In another incident, two suspects—Uche Nwachukwu (24) and Chinonso Ozirim (32)—were arrested for the abduction of Anayo Iwuoha at Akabo on June 20, 2025. The victim was held at Ozirim’s residence, where a ₦2.2 million ransom was collected before his rescue by a combined team of police operatives and local vigilantes. A manhunt is underway for other fleeing members of the gang.
Also arrested was Wisdom Chinazaekpere Ogbonna (36), a member of the Vikings Confraternity, who had been on the run since his alleged involvement in the 2023 murder of a young man known as “Pikin,” wrongly identified as a rival cultist. Ogbonna was initially arrested by operatives of the Orlu Division for burglary but was later linked to the cult killing after further profiling.
All suspects, the command stated, will be arraigned in court upon completion of investigations.
