Police operatives attached to the Imo State Police Command have taken out three deadly terrorist kingpins linked to the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of the proscribed Indegenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The kingpins were taken down when the police operatives located their hideout in a forest within Ihube, Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State and stormed it and in the ensuing heavy fire, six suspected terrorists, including the three kingpins were outgunned and kílled by the police.
Force spokesman, ACP ‘Muyiwa Adejobi disclosed this in a statement on Saturday and gave the names of the kingpins as Ifeanyi Anayo a.k.a. Zuma De Rock (28), Chukwuemeka Odionyenfe a.k.a. Nmimi (22), and Kingsley Sunday (21)—all natives of Ogube, Ihube in Okigwe Local Government Area.
Adejobi also disclosed that five AK-47 rifles, 552 rounds of live ammunition, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), several communication equipment, along with 8 operational motorcycles used by the group were recovered during the forest invasion for the criminals.
He stated that investigations had revealed the involvement of the group in several high-profile crimes, including the attack on the Owerri Correctional Center on April 5, 2021, the killing of five policemen in Umunna, Okigwe, on December 12, 2022, and the burning of Arondizuogu Police Station on February 8, 2022 among others.
Adejobi stated, “On January 24, 2025, operatives from the Command’s tactical Unit following credible intelligence launched a coordinated operation aimed at locating and dislodging the terrorist hideouts. The police operatives located the terrorists’ hideout in a forest within Ihube, Okigwe LGA. Upon approach, the operatives came under heavy fire from suspected IPOB/ESN terrorists but demonstrated exceptional courage and engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle.
“The operation resulted in the neutralization of 6 members of the terrorist group, with 3 being ESN kingpins identified as Ifeanyi Anayo a.k.a. Zuma De Rock (28), Chukwuemeka Odionyenfe a.k.a. Nmimi (22), and Kingsley Sunday (21)—all natives of Ogube, Ihube in Okigwe Local Government Area, and the recovery of five AK-47 rifles, 552 rounds of live ammunition, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), several communication equipment, along with 8 operational motorcycles used by the group. Prior investigations had revealed the involvement of the group in several high-profile crimes, including the attack on the Owerri Correctional Center on April 5, 2021, the killing of five policemen in Umunna, Okigwe, on December 12, 2022, and the burning of Arondizuogu Police Station on February 8, 2022. The group was also involved in multiple kidnappings, including those of WAEC staff on June 5, 2023, four reverend sisters on August 21, 2022, and four Chinese nationals on December 6, 2023.”
