Unknown gunmen have killed the traditional ruler of Ezuhu Umuamadi Nguru Autonomous Community in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, Eze James Nnamdi (Mirioma).
The incident was confirmed by the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, who said the monarch was shot multiple times when the gunmen invaded his house.
The traditional ruler, according to Okoye, did not survive the attack despite all efforts to save his life at a nearby hospital he was rushed to.
Okoye said the state Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Barde, condemned the incident and set up a high powered team to investigate this case and ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.
In another development, combined troops of the 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, officers of the Nigeria Police, and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have neutralised two IPOB/ESN fighters and arrested five others.
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The fighters were killed by the combined security force after a fierce encounter yesterday, July 17, 2023, at Fuji Junction general area in Asaba, Delta State.
This followed distress calls that the community was under attack by the terrorists, which led the combined troops to swing into action.
In a statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the terrorists were overpowered by the overwhelming firepower of the troops after two of their members fell in the firefight that ensued, while the survivors fled to their hideout around the Okpanam River.
The statement also revealed that the troops, in pursuit of the fleeing criminal elements, successfully trailed them to their hideout in a house around the Okpanam River, where they were nabbed.
The troops recovered one AK-47 rifle, one pump-action semi-automatic rifle, 15 live cartridges, one AK-47 magazine, and a Baofeng radio receiver.
The statement called on members of the public to “continue to cooperate with the security agencies by providing actionable information to support their operations to tackle security challenges.”
In the meantime, the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, has commended the combined troops for their effort and urged them to sustain the synergy as they restore peace in the region.