Police arrests ESN chief priest, recovers bombs, gun, charms

Less than a day after it partially enforced a sit-at-homr order across the southeast, IPOB again had unwelcome visitors at its training centre in Orlu, Imo, August 10.

In the raid, one ESN chief priest was apprehended.

According to the state command’s PRO Michael Abattam, the suspect, Ikechukeu Umaefulem, took the police to his spiritual home where he hid various weapons.

“When his spiritual home and premises were searched, the following items were recovered: one pump action gun with five rounds of live cartridges, one Improvised Explosives Device, knockouts, gun powder, a Biafran Flag, and other spiritual items,” Abattam said in Owerri.

“Meanwhile, the arrested spiritualist is in custody, undergoing interrogation and is assisting the police tremendously with information that will lead to the discovery of the remnants of their camps and arrest of other members of the group in hiding.”

The outlawed IPOB is seeking the establishment of Biafra Republic in the long term, as it fights to get its leader Nnamdi Kanu out of the DSS detention.