Odita Sunday 
Anambra Police Neutralise Six Suspected Armed Group Members, Recover Weapons in Ogbaru
By Odita Sunday
The Anambra State Police Command and other security agencies have neutralised six suspected members of an armed criminal group during a joint operation in Amiyi, Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.
The operation was conducted in the early hours of Saturday, August 22, 2026, by a joint security team comprising personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, Nigerian Navy and Agunachamba operatives.
According to the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ikenga Tochukwu, the security team acted on credible intelligence and trekked for about four hours through difficult terrain and dense palm forest before reaching a suspected criminal camp.
He said the suspects opened fire on sighting the operatives, resulting in a prolonged exchange of gunfire.
Ikenga said six suspected members of the group were neutralised during the encounter, while others fled the area, with some believed to have sustained gunshot injuries.
He said the operatives recovered two pump-action guns and charms from the camp, while structures identified as being associated with the group were subsequently dismantled.
The police spokesman, however, disclosed that the operation recorded a casualty on the side of the security forces after an explosive device suspected to have been planted in the area detonated.
He said one security operative was killed in the blast, while another sustained injuries and was receiving treatment at a hospital.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the personnel and community-based operatives for their courage and professionalism despite the difficult terrain and hostile environment.
Ama described the operation as another demonstration of the importance of intelligence sharing, inter-agency collaboration and community support in tackling violent criminal groups and dismantling their operational bases.
The commissioner also condoled with the family, colleagues and associates of the deceased operative and prayed for the speedy and full recovery of the injured personnel.
He assured residents that the command, in collaboration with other security agencies and stakeholders, would sustain intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal camps, recover illegal arms and prevent violent groups from establishing operational bases in any part of the state.
The police commissioner urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to provide security agencies with timely and credible information, stressing that community cooperation remained critical to sustaining peace and security in Anambra.
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