TheCable

The police command in Ebonyi says its operatives recovered two AK-47 rifles, 40 rounds of live ammunition and some charms from suspected murderers in the state.

In a statement on Friday, Levi Phillips, spokesman of the Ebonyi police command, said two locally-improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were also recovered from the suspects.

Philips said the suspects allegedly committed conspiracy, murder, arson and armed robbery.

“At about 3:00pm on September 16, a team of command operatives, while on the trail of hoodlums who murdered seven commuters on August 9, set ablaze their vehicle at Anike village in Onicha local government area,” NAN quoted the police spokesman as saying.

“The hoodlums were enforcing their illegal sit-at-home order on Monday.

“The operatives, while acting on credible information, trailed some of the hoodlums to their hideouts at Ugwulangwu forest in Ohaozara local government area.

“The hoodlums, on sighting the Police Operatives, opened fire on them and in the gun duel that ensued, two gang members were fatally wounded.

“Some of the gang members were Ikwe Maduabuchi, ‘m’, aged 25 years, a.k.a. ‘Tablet’, a native of Okpuitumo village in Ikwo local government area, and Onyekachi John, ‘m’, a.k.a. ‘Blood’, aged 28 years, a native of Anike village in Onicha local government area of the state.

“Some of them also escaped into the forest with gunshot injuries.”

The spokesman added that Aliyu Garba, commissioner of police in Ebonyi, assured residents in the state of the commitment of the command to securing lives and property.