The police command in Abia State has arrested nine suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra and Biafra Independent Movement.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Ezike disclosed this during a press conference on Wednesday in Umuahia.
The suspects are Ikedi Orji (38), Samuel Elem (38), Festus Oko (32), Michael Okoroafor (45) and Okoro Chukwu (33).
Others are John Ogbu (44), Cyril Elobuike (45), Dominic Onovo (56) and Alika Chukwuemeka (52).
Ezike said the items recovered from the suspects included two motorcycles, Biafran identity cards, one Biafran magazine, one Biafran National Anthem booklet and a Biafran flag.
He said that his men also recovered three blue shirts, badges and service numbers from the suspects.
He narrated how soldiers on duty at Abia State University Uturu military checkpoint intercepted the first five suspects all from Ebonyi en route Owerri, Imo, on November 25.
He said the last four suspects from Enugu State en route Owerri were intercepted near Lokponta in Umunneochi on November 26, by the patrol team to Mbala Division.
While parading them, he added that they admitted to being members of MASSOB and BIM, but denied belonging to IPOB.
“Intelligence information is indicative that suspects may be part of the IPOB group that unleashed mayhem in some states recently,” he said.
Some of the suspects who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria said they were only travelling to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Library, for the birthday/memorial lecture of the late Biafran warlord.
(NAN)