THIRTEEN unexploded bombs believed to have been abandoned during the civil war in various parts of Enugu State have been recovered by the anti-bomb unit of the Nigeria Police in Enugu, which described the discovery of the explosives as shocking.
The police have also intercepted various categories of fuse bombs from suspected members of Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) who were conveying them from Onitsha to Ebonyi State for their operations just as the joint Military/Police patrol set up in the state about two months ago has so far arrested 204 armed robbery suspects.
The MASSOB members were reportedly apprehended along the Enugu-Onitsha expressway by men of the state command on patrol duty on the highway.
The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Charles Dawodu, who disclosed these yesterday while parading twelve robbery suspects including a young girl at the Command headquarters, said that the command has also recovered various arms and ammunitions including eight locally made explosives, live ammunitions, three big dry cell batteries, three AK 47 Military rifles and pump action guns from MASSOB members and men of the underworld.
Others weapons displayed which the commissioner said were recovered from the twelve suspects were five single barrel guns, short guns, cartridges, cutlasses, axe, dagger, welding machine and other equipment used for cutting irons and woods.
But the most shocking of the development during the parade of the suspects was the discovery of a young girl who was said to have buried a locally-made gun and live ammunition inside the sole of her shoes, which members of her gang attempted to use in robbing luxury bus passengers traveling from Abia to Abuja.
The other was a new English pistol neatly tucked into a diary said to have been recovered from an occupant of the said luxury bus traveling to Abuja .
Dawodu, who said the command would not relent in fighting crimes in the state, however, expressed regrets that two policemen attached to the command lost their lives a few weeks ago during a gun duel with men of the underworld. He added that three others were receiving treatment in various hospitals in the state following injuries sustained while battling armed men.
Narrating the encounter that led to the arrest of the young girl, the Commissioner said that the Abuja bound luxury driver had on sensing danger and unusual signs between the gang members, driven to the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army.
“But unfortunately, while he was moving, some of the gang members broke the vehicle louvers and escaped, but the young girl and another boy could not and when we searched them, we discovered various arms and ammunitions on them. The girl carried her gun and ammunition inside her shoes”, Dawodu said.
state, most of it were now being perpetrated by commercial motorcyclists.
Dawodu, who further spoke on the recent jail break in Onitsha , disclosed that some of the suspects was arrested in Enugu , while attempting to rob people, adding that they were thereafter handed to the Force headquarters in Abuja .
He asked members of the public to assist the command with information about crimes in the state, promising that such would be treated with utmost confidentiality.
He assured members of the public that the command was fully prepared to provide security of lives and property, especially during the Christmas season, adding that the recovered arms and ammunitions would be transferred to Abuja at the end of investigations.