A local vigilante group has arrested eight suspected members of the Eastern Security Network, ESN, the militant wing of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
The suspected terrorists were apprehended at Umuodeche, a community in Isiala-Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria’s South-east.
A vigilante group from the community and another vigilante group from a neighbouring community, Umuezeukwu, carried out the arrest when they raided the suspects’ camp in the forest.
Five of the suspects, including a lady, were arrested in their hideout.
Hours later, the vigilante group, with the help of the information from the arrested suspects, also arrested three more suspects.
The suspected IPOB members erected a makeshift tent inside the forest and had spent about two weeks there before they were arrested.
A team of police officers who visited the place reportedly razed the makeshift tent, hours after the vigilante arrested the suspects.
Some video clips and pictures, taken before the camp was razed, showed that the suspects had erected two shrines where they usually force their recruits to take oath before beginning their operations.
“This is where I stood and took the oath with this kola nut,” said a recruit, in yellow sportswear, pointing at a piece of kola nut on the ground.
In his confessional statement to the joint-vigilante group, Uchenna Otuocha, one of the arrested gang members, confirmed they were IPOB members.
“We are here as IPOB members, we are 11 in number, three indigenes of this village and eight of us, we got an information that you guys (vigilantes) are coming and this guy (pointing at the one in yellow sportswear) said we should leave here.
“That he will find us another forest inside and cook food for us. As we got that information, we don’t know here, so they led us to the other road while they followed the main road with the tools bag (containing guns and other weapons),” an IPOB member, who was shirtless in the clip, said.
While he was still speaking, the only lady among them, who identified herself as Chinenye Amaka, told the vigilante that some of her colleagues who had the gang’s arms and ammunition followed one of the indigenes to his house to pass the night.
“Those three guys with the bag followed this guy (pointing at another indigene of the place whose name is yet to be ascertained) to their house to pass the night,” she said.
Continuing, Ms Amaka, who claimed she is from Enugu State, said the gang members usually carry out attacks, although she denied ever taking part in the attacks.
“We were brought here for armed robbery, we also set police stations ablaze,” she said.
When asked what else they do, she said, “We also kidnap people. We are five – myself, Lampard, Hotwater, Reported and Young.”
She said Reported nickname of one of the suspects is the owner of the arms they used to carry out the attacks.
“Reported brought me from Owerri,” she said.
