Less than 24 hours after the gruesome murder of Ahmed Gulak, police operatives in Imo State Command neutralised the suspected bandits involved.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bala Elkana, who disclosed this late on Sunday, May 30, 2021, said that following a distress call received by the Command on Gulak’s killing, police special forces, made up of Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Police Mobile Force (PMF) and Tactical Units from the command, were deployed to the scene at Obiangwu Junction at Ngorokpala Local Government Area.
He stated that the teams were given a clear instruction to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the act, with a view of bringing them to justice.
Eyewitnesses’ account, Elkana stated, especially the one given by the driver of the vehicle that was conveying the deceased to the airport before the attack, gave a vivid description of the assailants and the vehicles they used in carrying out the attack to the police to work on.
The PPRO stated: “The assailants were said to have used a Toyota Camry 2005 model with silver colour; Toyota Sienna 1998 Model with golden colour; Toyota Hilux with white color; and a Lexus RX 330 with golden Colour. The registration numbers are withheld for security reasons.
“Having established the identity of the assailants and the description of the vehicles used in carrying out the attack, the teams further got details of the direction the hoodlums had taken. With further leads, the team was able to establish the location of suspects.
“The suspects were rounded up at Afor Enyiogugu junction in Aboh-Mbaise Local Government Area. The hoodlums were met distributing onions to locals from a trailer they confiscated. The trailer was loaded with onions from the northern region of Nigeria.
“On sighting the police, the hoodlums providing security coverage to those sharing the onions opened fire on the police teams. The gallant and battle-ready police officers swiftly returned the fire.
“The six hoodlums who carried out the killings and four other members of their gang were fatally injured. Three out of the four vehicles used in attacking Gulak were recovered.
“Three AK-47 rifles, one pistol, five AK-47 magazines with 92 rounds of live ammunition and criminal charms were recovered.”
Saying that the assailants were identified as members of the proscribed IPOB and ESN, the police spokesman added: “The driver who drove late Ahmed Gulak and a co- victim who survived have all identified the dead bodies of the IPOB/ESN members positively as their attackers, and also identified the three vehicles recovered as those used by the attackers.
“During the encounter, two of the police armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were riddled with bullets but survived the gun battle.”
He said that the state Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, commended the gallant efforts of the team and admonished them to continue to protect the public space.
