BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
The Imo State Police Command has arrested one Simeon Onigbo, for allegedly manufacturing bombs for the Eastern Security Network.
The state’s police spokesman, Mike Abattan, disclosed this on Friday in a statement he signed on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Mohamme Barde.
According to the statement, the 50-year-old suspect had confessed to the crime of manufacturing locally-made bombs used to attack police divisions and government facilities in the state, while promising to reveal the hideouts of the terror group.
The police command also added that it had received credible intelligence on April 20, about the hideout of some alleged ESN members manufacturing Improvised Explosives Devices used for the said attacks in the state.
Acting on the intelligence, he added that the police mobilised its men and raided the hideout, located at Uba Umuaka in Njaba LGA in Imo.
“In the course of the raid, one Simeon Onigbo, aged 50, was arrested. The suspect admitted being the manufacturer of most of the ( IEDs) used in attacking police stations in and outside the state.
“On searching the hideout, items recovered include one IED, 58 pieces of Cannon Steel Pipe, two Chisels, one Monday Hammer, one bag of Potassium Nitrate and substances suspected to be sulphur weighing 30 pounds.
“Other items are: dry Sand weighing 40 pounds and red sand weighing 10 pounds, gun powder weighing 30 pounds, spa half bag of charcoal, 30 pieces of Electronic Motorcycle Batteries and Seven Lengths of eight millimeters iron rods,” he said.
Noting that the Command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (EOD) had taken over the recovered bomb for technical analysis and detonation, the Commissioner added that its that the suspect had made useful statement and also mentioned members of his gangs outside the state who patronise him.
