Anthony Ogbizi, commissioner of police in Abia state, says lethal weapons, including petrol bombs and one double-barrel gun, were recovered during last Sunday’s raid on the residence of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Ogbizi said this on Thursday during an interactive session with reporters in Umuahia, the state capital.
He said the items were recovered during a joint operation by security personnel in the state.
Ogbizi added that “incriminating documents and letters”, concerning IPOB’s activities and plans, were also recovered.
He said the raid was carried out based on an intelligence report, regarding the continued activities of some members of the group.
“We recovered many of Biafra’s insignia, staff of office and some of those items are being analysed,” he said.
Ogbizi said the operation also led to the arrest of one suspected member of IPOB.
He said the team also discovered the telephone numbers of the group’s zonal coordinators, adding that all the communications between the leadership of the group and their collaborators would be thoroughly analysed.
Ogbizi said a Biafran flag was also found hanging on a telecommunications mast in the area.
He said the police would ask the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to move against any telecommunication company that allowed its mast to be used to hoist Biafran flags.
The commissioner said the activities of IPOB in the south-east were “stirring insurrection” and that security agencies would not fold their arms and watch the group foment violence in the country.
The police chief said that similar joint operations would be carried out intermittently in Kanu’s residence, anytime they received intelligence report abouht the place.
He said it was wrong to say that the military was taking over the duties of the police, rather the action should be seen as a synergy between the two organisations to check security challenges.
Ogbizi said that he would not hesitate to invite the army anytime the security situation in the state grew beyond the capacity of the police.