Rivers
Police Vow To Dislodge IPOB In Oyigbo …Confirm Seven Deaths In Attacks
The Rivers State Police Command has vowed to dislodge the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from their strongholds in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, gave the assurance, last Monday, while briefing journalists at the state Police Command Headquarters on the attack on police stations and arrest of the perpetrators of the attack in Oyigbo.
Mukan said that the command had discovered that Oyigbo was a stronghold of IPOB in Rivers State, and was doing everything humanly possible to flush them out of the area.
“As we speak, there is relative peace in Oyigbo Local Government Area, as we continue to closely monitor the area amidst the curfew, because that axis of Oyigbo has been discovered as stronghold of IPOB in the state.
“Necessary measures have already been taken: there is Joint Task Force with military there. By the grace of God, IPOB strongholds in Oyigbo will be finally dislodged soon,” the CP disclosed.
The command also paraded 21 suspected members of IPOB arrested in connection with the attacks on Oyigbo, Afam, and Umuebulu police stations, as well as the attempted attack on Mile One Police Station in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Mukan also confirmed that seven persons, including three police officers were killed in the attacks.
Four out of seven persons killed were suspected to be members of the IPOB, who died during the exchange of gun-fire at Oyigbo.
Mukan identified the three police officers to include the APC driver attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU), Inspector Sunday Dubon; an officer attached to 19 PMF on special duty at Oyigbo, Sgt. Swawale Ornan; and a serving officer in Afam Police Station in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state, Sgt Umunna Uchechukwu.
He stressed that two police officers among the three victims were killed and burnt to ashes, while the other was killed with both his hands and legs cut off and then burnt to ashes.
The CP further disclosed that three police stations under Oyigbo Area Command were razed, while one police station was vandalised.
Mukan reiterated the command’s commitment to rid the state of all manner of crimes and criminality, promising to sustain the existing peace in the state.
He appealed for the support and cooperation of the public to reduce the crime rate in the state to the barest minimum.
Enoch Epelle