Police arrest drug dealer, six others after recovering rifles in abandoned vehicle

The police in Anambra State say they have arrested a suspected female drug dealer and six other crime suspects when operatives separately raided criminal hideouts in the state.

Police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga stated on Friday that the operations were conducted in accordance with the directives of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Command’s operational strategy against violent crimes, cultism, and illicit drug activities.

Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said one of the suspects, Ifeanyi Ogbuagbo, was believed to be a member of an unnamed separatist group in the state.

“Acting on credible intelligence in the evening of 13 August 2026, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit arrested a 65-year-old male, Ifeanyi Ogbuagbo, in Umudioka,” he said.

The spokesperson said a careful search of his residence led to the recovery of an army uniform and expended shells of ammunition concealed in a black polythene bag.

“Preliminary information reveals that the suspect is linked to a criminal gang agitating for self-government,” he said.

“The suspect has been taken into custody for investigation, while efforts are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the recovered items and his alleged activities,” he said.

More arrests

Ikenga said in the evening of the same Thursday, police operatives stormed a suspected criminal hideout in Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area and arrested six other crime suspects.

He identified the arrested suspects as Onyedika Moses, 36; Iruka Nwaonu, 30; Joseph Nwankwo, 36; Chukwujekwu Nwoso, 32, and Akanimo Orok, 40 – all males.

Chisom Okafor, 25, was the only female among the arrested suspects.

“During the operation, a sizable quantity of dried weeds suspected to be Cannabis Sativa and other substances suspected to be illicit drugs were recovered,” he said

Ikenga said the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnanna Ama, has reiterated that the Command will continue to deploy intelligence-led operations, strategic patrols and coordinated raids to dismantle criminal networks, disrupt illicit drug activities and deny criminals safe havens across the state.

Ama further directed that the ongoing raids on criminal hideouts, drug-selling spots, and other identified areas of criminal activity be intensified and sustained in the state.

Recovery of an abandoned vehicle with rifles

In a separate statement earlier on Friday, Ikenga said police operatives recovered two fabricated pistols and three caps bearing an inscription associated with a secret cult from an abandoned motorcycle in Awka North Local Government Area of the state.

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The spokesperson said the police operatives recovered the rifles during a routine patrol in the area.

“The operatives in the afternoon of 13 August 2026, while on patrol along the Isuaniocha Bridge, sighted two young men riding a black-coloured Sanyang motorcycle without a registration number.

“The suspects, on sighting the police team, suddenly and recklessly turned the motorcycle in an apparent attempt to evade the operatives,” he said.

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Ikenga said the suspicious action of the suspects prompted the officers to give them “a hot chase.”

“During the pursuit, the suspects fell from the motorcycle and abandoned it, together with two slippers and a bag, before fleeing into a nearby bush.

“A search of the abandoned bag subsequently led to the recovery of two fabricated pistols and three caps bearing an inscription associated with the Vikings Confraternity,” he narrated.

“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects and determine their identities, affiliations and the circumstances surrounding the possession of the recovered firearms and items.”

The spokesman said Ama has maintained that the Command remains committed to sustained patrols, intelligence-led operations, and proactive policing measures to combat crime and ensure the safety of the state’s residents.

He further directed that efforts should be intensified to apprehend the fleeing suspects.