Police recover wartime rocket launchers, bombs in Imo

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It was a massive haul of weapons yesterday in Imo State as the Police continued the search for buried weapons abandoned during the Nigerian civil war forty years after the war ended.

The explosives recovered include old wartime ammunitions recovered from old military trench at Okigwe Local Government Area, five primed Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) found at scene of robbery at one of the new generation banks in Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area, 10 live wartime military bombs recovered along at Ogbaku in Mbaitoli LGA, six live old wartime military bombs recovered at a building site at Ohuba in Ohaji/Egbema LGA.

Others include four IEDs and one rocket launcher recovered by Imo Command SIB, five electromagnetic old wartime bombs and six handheld grenades recovered from road construction site at Orlu, old wartime military bombs and two exploration bullets found from Egbema in Ohaji/Egbema LGA, four primed IEDs and one handheld grenade recovered from abandoned vehicle

Speaking to newsmen yesterday in Owerri, the state capital, the Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Musa Katsina who disclosed that the efforts were in continuation of the onslaught on crime and criminals in the state, stated that the explosives were recovered by his “Operation Sweep” which was formed to cleanse the entire state of deadly explosives.

“We are determined to sweep and cleanse Imo State of explosive ordinance like bombs and other Improvised explosive Device including components and weapons buried during the Nigeria-Civil war,” he stated.

According to him some of these bombs had been detonated, adding that apart from the five local government areas, the operation would cut across all the state.

The police boss also disclosed that some explosive elements were recovered from hoodlums who had engaged the police in gun battle.

He warned traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the state to be wary of local canons used at social gatherings as the hoodlums had adopted another strategy of using them during their robbery operations.