By Cajetan Mmuta
A midnight and early morning bloody clashes between a Joint Security Operatives made up of soldiers, police and Directorate of State Services (DSS) on one side and members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Thursday and Friday have left no fewer than eight persons dead in Orlu local government area of Imo state.

The ugly attacks took their tolls on the Nkwo-Ito junction near Orlu Township Stadium and adjoining locations in the Amaifeke community.

It was learnt that alleged members of the deadly Eastern Security Network (ESN) with a strong link with IPOB had attempted to carry out the attack on Orlu Divisional Police Headquarters in the state but were resisted by battle-ready anti-riot mobile policemen who alerted men of the joint security outfit.

Aside from the number of those who lost their lives, more than 45 persons sustained gunshot injuries in the wake of the melee that shook the sleepy communities within the local government area.

Most residents of the council were jolted by the volleys of stray bullets that rented the air and hit many in the process.

Ln addition, the joint security operatives recovered seven vehicles with which the attackers stormed Orlu for their operations.

Findings by ThisNigeria revealed that the endless gun duel between the ESN gunmen and the security operatives lasted several hours.

The military was said to have sent for reinforcement from the 34 artillery brigade, Obinze, in Owerri, the state capital.

People and residents had scampered for safety as all roads leading to Orlu town and its environs were deserted.
A resident of the Orlu town said most people did not sleep throughout the night because of the ceaseless gun battle.

During the night attacks the gunmen who arrived the town in several batches with their vehicles, set an Amoured Personnel Carrier (APC) stationed near UBA commercial bank at Umunna junction was ablaze in Orlu town.

According to the resident, “We did not sleep with our two eyes and our hearts are in our hands since last night.”
However, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Orlando Ikeokwu, could not be reached when contacted on phone.

A senior police officer within the command had confirmed the incident.

He stated that the corpses of those killed and their vehicles were brought to the state police command headquarters in Owerri.

He explained that the police Divisional headquarters in Orlu was not razed.

In addition, no security officer was killed in the attack.

The officer stated that “Yes, we successfully repelled an attempt to raze Orlu Divisional Police Headquarters, last night. The hoodlums came in multiple vehicles and sophisticated weapons and assault rifles. They were repelled and eight of them were gunned down and with seven vehicles belonging to them recovered.”

He added that “Their corpses and seven vehicles belonging to them had been conveyed to Imo state police command headquarters in Owerri. As I speak to you now, they are with us. You need to see their charms and other things hanging on their necks.

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“It was a big war. The gunbattle lasted for hours but our men made up of the police, military and air Force overpowered them. They were denied access to the police station premises. Successfully, eight were killed and seven vehicles recovered. Others fled.

The latest attempted attack on Orlu came about one month heavily armed men suspected to be ESN members attacked police command headquarters and Correctional Centre in Owerri where they released over 1, 884 inmates and burnt both buildings and over 50 vehicles in the process.

The state governor Hope Uzodinma had fingered the IPOB as the mastermind of the dastard act even as the federal government described the group a terrorist group.

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It would also be recalled that a Joint Security team had three weeks ago raided the headquarters of the ESN in Awo Omamma close to Omuma, all in Oru-East council are of the state where they killed the ESN Commander simply known as Ikonso.

Ikonso’s sudden death had caused ripples within the IPOB members even as the group vowed to inflict pains on the state governor for daring the group.

Consequently, the body had carried out an attack on Governor Uzodinma’s Omuma country home, which serves as headquarters of the local government area.

Several vehicles and buildings within the governor’s palatial residence were torched during the early morning attack.

Meanwhile, the latest attack came few hours after a new Commissioner of Police, Mr Abutu Yaro, assumed office in the state.

Abutu had assured residents of the state that he would resist further attacks on Police formations and killings of security personnel in parts of the state.

Efforts to get the comment of IPOB Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, on the incident failed.