By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Five suspected gunmen have been killed in their hideout in Ufuma, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said that a Joint Security Team comprising the Police, Military, and other security agencies successfully carried out an offensive operation on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 12:30 PM against a suspected armed secessionist gang on Umugem Road, Ufuma.

He said that in the course of the operation, the team neutralized five members of the armed group, while others escaped with various degrees of bullet wounds.

The Police Spokesman added: ?During the operation, the security team razed the criminal camp and recovered four undetonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), two AK-47 assault rifles, one pump-action gun, one 75-volt battery, and other incriminating items.?

While attributing the success of the operation to the collaboration and coordination among the various security agencies, Ikenga revealed that operations are still ongoing in the area to apprehend the fleeing gang members.

He said: ?The Commissioner of Police (CP), Nnaghe Obono Itam, has called for greater cooperation from the people in the area for patriotic involvement to ?take back the space? and deny these criminal elements the environment they use to cause tension in the state.?