Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade, operating under Operation UDOKA through ongoing Operation EASTERN SANITY II, have arrested key members of a notorious criminal syndicate responsible for ambush of troops on May 4.
This is contained in a statement by the acting deputy director of army public relations, 82nd Division Nigerian Army, Lt.-Col. Olabisi Ayeni, on Saturday in Enugu.
Ayeni said that the unfortunate ambush claimed the life of one soldier and left another wounded.
He said that following the attack, troops launched a series of intelligence-led raids aimed at apprehending the perpetrators and recovering weapons stolen during the incident.
According to him, these sustained operations resulted in the arrest of the suspects.
He noted that acting on actionable intelligence, in the early hours of Friday, troops in collaboration with 181 Battalion operating under 63 Brigade conducted a coordinated raid at Opaebe and Oleh in Delta.
He said that the raid led to the arrest of the suspects popularly known as Chiboy, Marathon, and Onowu, who had fled to Oleh in Delta State after the ambush on troops.
According to the statement, the suspects guided troops to their hideouts at Aggah Plantation, Ekpeaggah, Rivers State, and Umudike Plantation, where the stolen weapons and other arms used in committing their nefarious acts were concealed.
“During the operation, troops recovered the stolen service weapons comprising one AK-47 rifle with two magazines and one FN rifle with two magazines.
“Additionally, troops recovered three more AK-47 rifles with nine magazines, pistols with their magazines, 194 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and 45 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition.
“Military clothing and protective gear, including camouflage shirts, trousers, jungle hats, and a fragment protection jacket, were also recovered.
“Other items included one empty first aid box and five mobile phones believed to be linked to the syndicate’s criminal activities,” he said.
Ayeni said that the suspects are currently in custody for further investigation and would face prosecution in accordance with the law.
He said that the Headquarters Joint Task Force South-East, Operation UDOKA, had commended the professionalism, resilience, and inter-agency cooperation demonstrated by the troops throughout the operation.
“This success underscores the commitment of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies to safeguarding lives and dismantling criminal networks in order to sustain the peace-building processes ongoing across the region,” he added.
