A police-led Joint Security Patrol Team has neutralised four suspected armed gang members during a fierce gun battle along the Ogboji–Ajalli Road, recovering a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), two AK-47 rifles, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other operational exhibits.
The operation, which took place on the evening of Tuesday, was carried out by the Aguata Sector Joint Security Team following credible intelligence on the movement of suspected members of a secessionist armed group operating in a white Toyota Sienna bus.
Security operatives engaged the suspects in a gun duel, resulting in the death of four of the armed men, while others reportedly escaped into nearby bushes with gunshot wounds.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the security team recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun with 53 rounds of linked live ammunition, two AK-47 rifles, two magazines, 29 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 13 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, four undetonated improvised explosive devices, police camouflage uniforms and accessories, a white Toyota Sienna bus bearing Lagos registration number KJA 919 KH, 10 Android phones, two feature phones, a laptop computer, a Point-of-Sale machine, power banks, assorted charms, ATM cards, a National Identification Card, a driver’s licence and other items believed to have been used by the suspects.
Police said the operation formed part of ongoing visibility and confidence-building patrols across the state, stressing that intelligence gathered over time had indicated the movement of the heavily armed suspects along the route before they were intercepted by the joint security team.
The command disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed that some members of the gang fled into the surrounding forest with varying degrees of gunshot injuries. It added that intensive combing operations and search efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects and recover additional weapons and operational equipment.
The reaffirmed its commitment, in collaboration with other security agencies, to sustaining proactive, intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks and ensuring the safety of residents across the state. Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga urged members of the public to continue providing credible information that would aid ongoing security operations.
