The Ebonyi State Police Command has killed two suspected hoodlums and arrested three others during raids on criminal hideouts in the Iyonu and Isu communities of the state.

It was gathered that the suspects had been terrorising the two communities and neighbouring villages before the operation.

Confirming the report in a statement on Saturday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the hoodlums were killed during a raid in a forest in the Iyonu area.

He noted further that the operation led to the arrest of three other suspects and the recovery of several incriminating items.

He stated;, “In continuation of its sustained onslaught against criminal elements in the state, operatives of the Ebonyi State Command have neutralised two suspected hoodlums during a raid on their hideout in Iyonu community, Ishielu LGA.

“The operation, which was carried out within the Iyonu/Idodo Forest, followed credible intelligence on the activities of the gang terrorising the area. On sighting the operatives, the hoodlums opened fire, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire. At the end of the encounter, two of the suspects were neutralised.

“The following exhibits were recovered from the scene: one AK-47 rifle, two locally fabricated Dane guns, twenty (20) rounds of 9MM ammunition, and five (5) live cartridges.”

According to the statement,  three other suspects were arrested in a separate operation by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, which foiled a kidnap attempt on the mother of a prominent individual in Isata community, Onicha LGA.

The statement added; “Similarly, acting on cultivated intelligence, operatives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command foiled a kidnap attempt on the mother of a prominent individual in Isata community, Isu, Onicha LGA. The suspects — Monday Okorie (m), Ngwuta Friday (m), and Simon Joshua (m) — were arrested, while one member of the gang remains at large.

“One locally made single-barrel gun was recovered from the suspects. They will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation,” the statement added.

The state Commissioner of Police, CP Adaku Uche-Anya, reaffirmed the command’s unrelenting efforts in its fight against criminal elements in the state.

She also urged residents to cooperate with the command by providing credible and timely information to assist in its proactive crime-prevention efforts.