Troops, Police Kill 1 Hoodlum, Recover Bodies Of 3 Vigilantes In Anambra

A combined police/military crime fighting operatives has killed a member of a gang of arsonists and recovered three bodies of slaughtered vigilante operatives in Anambra State.

The arsonists attacked the headquarters of Ihiala local government with Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, in the early hours of yesterday, murdered three vigilante operatives guarding the local government, beheaded one of them, and, attacked the local government headquarters with petrol bomb.

LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that the police/military operatives had about four days earlier recovered four dead bodies of villagers in the Ihiala local government area who were killed by bullets of a gang of rampaging hoodlums who were shooting sporadically.

The spokesperson of the police command in the state, Mr Ikenga Tochukwu, who confirmed yesterday’s attack on the headquarters of Ihiala local government said that the police/military team received a distress call about the arsonists’ attack at about  2:55am yesterday.

He stated that the security operatives in addition to killing one of the arsonists left several of the arsonists with bullet wounds before they escaped, and recovered many of their fire arms, including an Ak 47 rifle, ammunition, IEDs, charms, etc.

The police spokesperson who confirmed the incident said: “Following the Police/Military operations ongoing in Ihiala and its neighbouring town, the Operatives responding to a distress call at about 2:55 am, today 12/1/2023 of an attack on Ihiala local government headquarters, neutralised one of the attackers, recovered two locally made IED launcher, seven undetonated IED, forty pieces of live cartridges, fifteen live 7.62MM Ak47 ammunition, knives, charms, and other dangerous weapons.

“The attackers had already murdered, three vigilante operatives on duty, beheaded one and set five buildings ablaze with IED and petrol bombs.

“The joint force operatives engaged the arsonist/attackers, and obstructed them from causing further damages, while some escaped with bullet wounds”, he said further.

Tochukwu disclosed that further operations by the security team was still ongoing in the area, and, that the bodies of the murdered vigilante operatives had been deposited in a morgue.